Writing this review is a bit of a challenge, because A Psalm for the Wild-Built has rapidly become not just my favorite book, but a book that feels like it holds a little piece of my soul within it. I truly adore that tiny little book, and it makes me sob every time I read it. To say that A Prayer for the Crown-Shy had big shoes to fill would be a huge understatement.

But Prayer, of course, nails it. This is not Psalm 2.0 -- this is something different. A little broader in scope (New places! New people! New world building!) while still filled with all those bits and pieces that made Psalm work so perfectly. Mosscap and Dex haven't figured everything out yet, in spite of how hard they're trying, and this book feels more like another step in a journey than anything else. The private adventure of the the titular Monk and Robot has come to an end, in some ways -- this book shows the two of them surrounded by other people, meeting new friends and seeing old ones as well. I have to admit feeling nostalgic for the solitude of Psalm, and I don't think that is unintentional -- Mosscap and Dex seem to be a little wistful of that time themselves. There is a certain attitude that being around people is good and nice, but it is different from solitude, and solitude is nice too.

As my original review for Psalm said: This book is everything you want it to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tordotcom for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Much like Psalm for the Wild Built, this book is a calm hug and a joy to read. The book does an amazing job of being cute, funny, and poignant as the characters travel trying to figure out the answer to Mosscap’s question “What do humans need?”

A very good sequel to A PSALM FOR THE WILD-BUILT. Nicely moves the story of Sibling Dex and Mosscap forward, as the two return to the human side of Panga. The two companions go on a tour of various settlements, experiencing the variety of communities that exist on the moon. We learn more of how humanity is living post-de-mechanization.

Chambers series asks readers to consider a number of questions, including our relationship with stuff and relentless economic/manufacturing growth. It asks us to think about who we are, what makes us, and what we want.

If you enjoyed the first novella, then I have no doubt that you'll enjoy A PRAYER FOR THE CROWN-SHY. If you haven't tried the series, yet, then I'd urge you to give it a try. Recommended.

Dex and Mosscap continue their journey in another warm and fuzzy installment of this lovely series. Mosscap is determined to ask all they meet, “What do you need?” while Dex is trying to determine what they need. What will the pair do when they finally reach the end of their tour?
I hope there is a book three! Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

There isn't a lot of SFF that's lighthearted. Everything is so very serious all the time. Becky Chambers fills that void with her work. Panga is such an adorable world, where it feels like nothing really bad could happen, or if it does you have the support to get through it.

These novellas have a leisurely pace. While the conversations between Dex and Mosscap can verge on cheesy, or grating if you don't have the luxury to have their kind of existential issues, it doesn't feel pushed or saccharine.

It's cute, it's short, I like it.

I read the first book in this Monk and Robot series a few days ago and had to pick this up almost immediately after. I think that this is such an inventive world, and brings up so much in such a tight little space. Religion! What it means to be human! What it means to want more than one's place in the world, or question what to do with one's life! How to be good- and feel good. This is really feel-good happy sci-fi, in a world where many of our mistakes (such as destroying the planet) have been resolved. But what does it mean to live in a world where we are able to just... be? I think this series poses more questions than it answers, but with these two protagonists I'm happily along for the ride. I think Mosscap and Dex are wonderful guides to this fiction world and I will read any adventure they go on in future.

Absolutely loved this beautiful story. Five stars for this novella and can’t wait for the next book. Just so very comforting.

Between the war in Ukraine and the nature of the previous book I read, This was a good time for Becky Chambers. This book was- like everything Chambers writes - balm for the soul.


This is the second novella in her Tea & Robot series, and for everyone who read A Psalm for the Wild-Built, this hits many of the same notes. The story picks up right where the previous book left off, with Dex accompanying and guiding Mosscap as he goes outside of the wilderness and meets more humans. The humans are delighted to meet Mosscap in turn, as one would expect from the idyllic society that Chambers has envisioned here. So Dex and Mosscap go from town to town and talk to people.


If you’re looking for a tightly plotted book that surprises you with its twists and turns, look elsewhere. Everything I just said? That’s the entire plot. There really isn’t one.


Instead, there is a great deal of commentary on the human condition in a general sense. Mosscap is looking to understand humanity, after all, and his questions are all directed towards that. Unfortunately, Dex and all fellow members of their species aren’t really equipped to answer the question of “What do you need?” if it’s anything less mundane than “a new lightbulb; the one in my kitchen is flickering.”


More than anything, this book is about Dex’s continuing struggles with their mental health. Dex has spent most of their adult life telling people it’s ok to struggle, it’s ok to be tired, it’s ok to just not be ok. Dex set off into the wilderness in the first book precisely because they weren’t ok. They’re still not ok, and they are having a great deal of trouble accepting about themselves that which they so easily accept in others.


I can relate.

3.5

I enjoyed reading about Mosscap and Sibling Dex's travels, all the places they went to (I was very curious of how Pangea worked and looked like in the first book), and there was a lot of very cute moments that really felt like a cup of tea served by a tea monk, but I also missed a lot of the discussions on religion which, along with all the hope-punk elements, made me absolutely love A Psalm for the Wild-Built.

Still, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is a lovely meditation on purpose and meaning and I hope there are more books in the series coming out in the future, I still want to know more about the Sacred Six!

In this sequel to A Psalm for the Wild-Built, Becky Chambers has crafted yet another humorous, philosophical, and comforting journey in the world of Monk & Robot. As Sibling Dex and Mosscap go on a tour across towns and cities, introducing Mosscap to a civilization it has never met, the two of them discover the vitality of community and kindness and the importance of recognizing what you need and what you're able to give. Though these novellas are short, they're my favorite books that Becky Chambers has written. I can only hope that there will be more Monk & Robot stories to come, but if not, I'm so grateful for the existence of these books and with the world veering toward chaos, violence, and uncertainty, they provide the perfect escape of kindness, wonder, and comfort that I think we could all use right now.

This was just lovely. I loved this even more than the first book, and I loved the first one, too. Both Dex and Mosscap experience so much growth in such a short amount of pages. I loved that we got a little more worldbuilding in this one, too. As always, Chambers poses philosophical questions that make me question my thinking while still feeling wrapped in a warm hug.

I know Chambers has said she's working an entirely new novel now, but my fingers are crossed for more Monk & Robot adventures in the future. 🤖

ARC via Netgalley

A heartwarming continuation of the adventures of our beloved robot and human companions, Mosscap and Dex. Much like the first novella, I so enjoyed the time spent in this world and with its inhabitants. The shared bond between this unlikely pair is wonderful, as is the throughline exploring the nature of humanity. I hope this is not the end of their travels, because Becky Chambers has created a winning formula here – further cementing herself as a beacon for hopepunk storytelling.

4.5 - Sibling Dex and Mosscap are returning to civilization after their adventures in the wilderness; watching their friendship blossom as they interact with others and contemplate difficult questions is delightful. Soft, comforting, and lovely - this warm hug of a book gently reminds readers that it’s okay to not be okay or to have all the answers right now. This story is an optimistic balm for the soul in pessimistic times and a refreshing take on what the future could hold.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
(Monk & Robot #2)
by Becky Chambers

Wonderful! It's a rich chocolaty cup of hugs! These two travel Dex's world now and Mosscap, the robot, gets to see the world the robots left and ask the people what they need. If someone told me I would enjoy reading a book about two non-binary characters discussing various aspects of philosophy I would have laughed. I am not one to read a lot of philosophy and really enjoy it. But these two drew me in and I was captivated by the subjects and how it relates to life now.

I love the wonderful world they live in. An optimistic, utopian type society where even the young are taught goodness and kindness. Ah, it was so heartwarming. I loved seeing Mosscap explore everything for the first time like a child!

The only thing I found I didn't like is that it was too short. I felt they was just starting their travels and they were not finished. But it ended rather abruptly.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this lovely book!

I received an advance copy of this book free in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

This was, in short, another masterpiece from Becky Chambers. Her work remains a bastion of soothing optimism in a genre that often envisions darker futures. The Monk and Robot series delves deeper into the philosophy genre than any of her previous books. I appreciate the calm, speculative nature with which she addresses larger human questions. The two main characters, Dex and Mosscap, both struggle with real existential questions, without becoming sullen or melodramatic about it. Her themes, both in the first book, and this latest installment, feel particularly poignant two years into COVID and quarantine, as many struggle with burnout.

While there isn't a driving plot in this book (or most of her others, either) the world-building and character-building certainly felt like more than enough to center a book around. Her visions of a post-industrial society and community-centered economic system helped to further define and crystalize her utopian setting. Dex and Mosscap are both some flavor of non-binary, and it is in no way a point of contention in the book. The effortless break from the gender binary, even if only for the length of a novella, is a welcome treat.

As with all Becky Chamber's previous works, I can't recommend it highly enough.

The only thing wrong with this book is that I didn't have someone to hug immediately after I finished it. Chambers regularly digs into the idea of "is it enough to just exist". Which is basically impossible to answer, but darn if I don't want to watch her characters try. Anyone who has ever wondered if they can try something new, change paths, or if they just need a vacation, will find something that resonates with them in this book.

This series is like wrapping myself in a giant warm hug. There is just something about these characters that speaks to me and gives me all of the feelings. Mosscap is like a child experiencing everything for the first time and I couldn't help but chuckle whenever he would ask an inappropriate question. The scene where he meets a baby for the first time has got to be one of my absolute favorites. I think I had a smile on my face the whole time I read this novella. I didn't want the story to end. I just wanted to keep traveling with Mosscap and Sibling Dex. I can't help but want to spend more time with these two and watch as their friendship grows as they continue to discover the world around them. I don't know if this is a duology or a series but I really hope that the future brings us more books starring this wonderful and adorable duo.

A big thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for letting me read this book early.

This series is so kind to its reader. It’s deceptively simple, but honest and healing and true. Becky Chambers uses a carefully crafted world that isn’t ours and quietly complex characters we will never meet to say “I see you” to her reader at every turn and I adore her for it. I think everyone -- at any point, but perhaps now more than ever -- should sit down with this book and let it speak to them the way we all deserve, with kindness and understanding for both who we are and what our world could be.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is the second Monk & Robot book, following the delightful Psalm for the Wild Built. Prayer is a continuation, a deeper exploration, and a true joy.

Sibling Dex and Mosscap- the respective monk and robot- journey through the human areas of Panga on their way to the City. Along the way Mosscap explores the world and asks the same question of everyone he meets: what do you need? As Mosscap learns about the world and tries to piece together the answers he encounters, Dex wrestles with what they need...and what they want.

This book is a wonderful meditation on humanity, an optimistic and progressive vision of the future, and a subtle exploration of the unique relationship between its two main characters. I loved every word. And the ending was evocative and stunningly conveyed. I finished the book and immediately wanted more.

Mosscap and sibling Dex continue on their journey in this second installment of the Monk & Robot series. I enjoyed this book more than the last simply because you get a broader description of the world around them and because you get to know so much more about the characters. They continue to learn more about one another as well as getting to know more about themselves. Mosscap is ever so grateful for sibling Dex taking the time to show it around and helping it understand more about its reason for being. While on their journey, they meet amazing and understanding people willing to converse as well as help along the way. Mosscap has even acquired its very own belongings that it cherishes knowing it has never owned anything before. Although this book is a work of fiction, it has made me better understand our meaning of life and how we work ourselves in it with the creatures we share it with. It has even made me question the very things we say we “Need” in the world. Do we really need them? Can we just simply live more humbly reusing the things that have been? The book is such a eye opener. The writing continues to be ever so soothing and it is the perfect book to sit curled up in a blanket next to a fire. The descriptions are written so beautifully it almost makes you feel as you were there looking at the sunset or staring at the stars.

I am convinced that this series is going to be a favorite of mine. I can’t speak any more highly of this book without coming off as annoying. I recommend this series again to every reader, whether you’re a fan of Sci-fi, Romance or Fantasy. I know for a fact that you will love it as much as I do. This title will be available July 12, 2022 published by Tor Books. I want to say a huge thank you to Tor and Net-galley for providing me with an ARC.

Happy reading!