Becky Chambers has delivered another contemplative, warm adventure that manages to tell us so much about the human capacity for caring. Following Dex, a tea-slinging monk, and Mosscap, a curious robot, as they traverse the human lands looking to learn more about humankind. If you loved the first novella, this one will not disappoint. What a lovely, warm story.

So I made a mistake and read A Prayer for the Crown Shy before reading Psalm for the Wild Built. I didn’t realize it was part of a duology. Ooops !

A Prayer for the Crown Shy is the second book to the Monk and Robot Series. This is a cozy, comfort read that feels akin to reading a book wrapped in a cozy blanket while drinking tea by the fireplace. It’s a book that I genuinely enjoyed reading while also making me smile.

We primarily follow the interactions of Dex and Mosscap, as they journey together through a place called Panga in to aid Mosscap in his mission to discover what humans need.

I normally don’t enjoy stories like these. It is very hopeful, and light-hearted. Some people might even consider it saccharine. Personally it was something I really needed in between some darker books and with the state of current affairs.

The pacing of A Prayer for the Crown Shy was also pretty well balanced. This is an issue I often have with books by Becky Chamber but I did not have a problem with this one.

Welp time to go back and read a Psalm for the Wild Built.

Becky Chambers is a master of cozy and thoughtful stories, and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is no exception. The Monk & Robot series beautifully inhabits a world that reinvented itself after robots achieved sentience and left humanity for centuries, with the series exploring the first contact between robots and humanity in centuries. In A Prayer for the Crown-Shy, Mosscap and Sibling Dex leave the wilderness and begin to explore humanity and a range of answers and perspectives on Mosscap's question: What does humanity need?

The series is perfect for anyone looking for a cozy and thought provoking story including themes of individual needs and our engagement in community. The audiobook version is expertly narrated by narrator Emmett Grosland, who does a great job and is well paired with the story and series. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy will also resonate for anyone going through or contemplating a change in their life and exploring questions of higher level needs or wrestling with questions of purpose.

A full review and discussion will be available on episode #161 of Narrated, scheduled for 19 Jun 22: https://narratedpodcast.com/episodes/161

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is the 2nd book in the Monk and Robot series. I listened to this one on audio and absolutely adored it. Becky Chambers' writing is transformative and heart-warming. This was such a cozy read, but also incredibly well-written. It's short but packs a lot of wisdom into its pages. I immediately went out and bought another one of her books!

The Monk & Robot series is easily among my favorites! The scenery, dialogue and relationships between characters makes this story so fulfilling to read. It is almost like the first sip of tea on a crisp fall day. A Prayer for the Crown-Shy continues the journey of Sibling Dex and Mosscap, this time exploring the villages and cities of their little moon. There were so many notable characters along the way (my favorite being Ms Amelia because who wouldn’t want to have a collection of romance novels, a few cats and to ride around on a speedboat with Mosccap?)! I never want this series to end!

The audio performance was well done by the narrator Em Grosland! I think Grosland did an amazing job matching the peacefulness of the the story. All together it was a wonderful experience!

An absolute delight! What a fantastic sequel to A Psalm for the Wild-Built. I loved the e passion of the world, and the character development of both the monk and robot. Like the last one, I just wanted more.

This novella was an excellent follow-up to A Psalm for the Wild-Built. Like other Becky Chambers works, it has a cozy, safe feeling and characters who largely treat each other well. The main message is one of having boundaries and caring for oneself while also contributing to the community.

My favorite part continued the discussion of robot mortality from the previous book. Mosscap the robot was forced to grapple with the question, “Are you your body, or are you not your body?"

The main character is non-binary, and the narrator, Emmet Grosland, is trans-masculine and uses he or they pronouns. His voice is not obviously male or female, which is perfect for a non-binary main character. He reads this in a very relaxed, soothing style that goes well with the content of the book.

My full review is in the form of a podcast episode, which will be available here as of 7/19/22: https://narratedpodcast.com/episodes/161

I adored this book. I recently read the first in this series, so I was really excited to continue Dex and Mosscap's journey.

I love the philosophical questions and the conversations that come out of them. It's very relatable and I definitely enjoyed how that aspect played out throughout the book.

I was wondering how this would all wrap up, and the ending did not disappoint either.

This series was the first I've read from this author, and I'm definitely planning on checking out the Wayfarers series soon, and anything else this author publishes in the future.

I received an ALC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance audio copy of this novel.

I am new to the Monk and Robot series by Becky Chambers (and to Becky Chambers in general), and I absolutely adore these books. I read A Psalm for the Wild-Built just last week and fell in love with the characters. While I didn't love the second one quite as much, I still found it nearly as delightful. I never knew that cozy sci-fi was a thing I needed in my life, but apparently it is. I'm not a big sci-fi fan, but the few books I've enjoyed in that genre are the ones that lean heavily into philosophy and character development and less into science and action. I will be anxiously awaiting the next installment in this series, and would recommend these books to any reader, not just those who enjoy science fiction.

This book was so delightful to read. It truly gave me joy to just follow along in Dex's and Mosscap's journey, as Mosscap is introduced to the human world. Mosscap is on a journey to find the answer to the question, "What do humans need?" Dex is more than willing to help him reach out to as many people as possible. Seeing Mosscap and Dex form a friendship as they traveled was really enjoyable. We also get to see Dex struggle with being burnt-out, and out and feeling guilty for it.

This was a very soft sci-fi book. The world that humans have built for themselves after a near apocalypse was very interesting to read about. The author did a wonderful job of building a completely different economic and social system. The way people interpreted religion differently was a nice touch as well.

This was such a lovely combination of cozy and philosophical. Sibling Dex and Mosscap just enjoy their time together discussing the world, humans, and how they interact with nature. Some of their conversations made me really nod my head. I think I'd like my own copy so I can highlight passages. I want more, please!

Chambers' first book in this series was written "for anybody who could use a break," and in similar fashion, the sequel is dedicated to "anybody who doesn't know where they are going." Just as the first book followed Sibling Dex as they meandered their way through villages serving tea and learning to take time for themself, the sequel is concerned with a robot's question to humankind: "what do you need?"

Sibling Dex and Mosscap, the robot representative to humankind, form an unlikely friendship and bond as they trek through civilization and wilderness alike, helping each other figure out their place in the world. Reading this book felt like drinking a perfect cup of tea on a rainy day or the feeling you get when you curl up under a heavy blanket with your pet when it is cold. It is a warm hug in a book. Yet though short, the novella is poignant and thought-provoking. Sibling Dex struggles with the same questions that plague us all. Sure, we can tell others that it is okay to not be okay, and it is fine if you don't know where you are going, but we tend to hold ourselves to a higher standard. The characters in this book help each other recognize that they should treat themselves with the same kindness they show others. And, through it all, they meet with and learn about the myriad of people living in Panga. I am excited for the third book in this sequel and where our beloved characters will go from here.

the story itself is fun and great but the audio on the netgalley app was almost unbearable. completely robot like and such an unpleasant experience to listen to. i think this is common with netgalley audios so that is unfortunate.

Compared to the first Monk and Robot book, I didn't like this one as well. I found that it dragged in parts. However, the characters are every bit as fascinating as in the first book! The descriptions really put mental pictures in my head of the robot, the humans, and the landscape. Overall, an average rating from me.

The sequel is just as good as the original. We follow Dex and Mosscap on their adventures as Mosscap is introduced to humanity. Honestly there's not much more I feel like I need to say about this book. These books are delightful. I have listened to the audio for both which I strongly recommend. For me this was a great palate cleanser in between all the dark stories I usually read.

Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 stars

I loved this! Much more meandering than Psalm just by nature of the "plot," but still everything I loved about Psalm: the ideas, the characters and their interactions, the humor, the slice of life-ness. This stacks up very well to the first. We see Mosscap and Dex's friendship deepen as they go through society, and it is really a delight to see Mosscap become acquainted with human nature and their society.

Worldbuilding was not a huge focus of this book, but I did love seeing more of this world. Mostly because of the solarpunk-ness of it. Due to my more radical political/economic beliefs and my radical hope (in my opinion) for the world (only thing that can combat my extreme cynicism/realism), I'm used to people saying the kind of world in this book never could work. It was nice to live in this extremely happy and comfortable society that is also sustainable and community-run--there is not money, there is not capitalism, there is not the consequences of climate change. It imagined a bit of what our world could look like, if we worked for it. I have always believed our problem is... we don't work for it. Most people don't want to.

Mosscap and Dex were super funny in this. Thinking of one particular scene where Mosscap learns about human sexuality.... if you know you know. It was nice seeing Dex's family, and it was nice seeing Mosscap and Dex be so obtuse and stupid about their friendship, but working it out.

The book did end a bit quickly for my taste, and it didn't meet me in my moment quite like Psalm, so that is still my favorite of the two. But this was an amazing follow-up to one of my favorite books of all time, and I cherish them both immensely.

This book was so delightful and warm and fuzzy. Dex and Mosscap are the most adorable traveling companions, each learning and growing from each other. The social commentary is very on the nose and it seemed like there were so many issues that were brought up for such a short story, it felt a little over the top. Was this a book on veganism, transphobia, the effect we have on the planet? There was just a lot for only 160 pages. It's still a very cute story and I will continue to pick up this series.

This book was so delightful and warm and fuzzy. Dex and Mosscap are the most adorable traveling companions, each learning and growing from each other. The social commentary is very on the nose and it seemed like there were so many issues that were brought up for such a short story, it felt a little over the top. Was this a book on veganism, transphobia, the effect we have on the planet? There was just a lot for only 160 pages. It's still a very cute story and I will continue to pick up this series.

This series feels like a warm hug and I feel blessed that I was able to get a copy of the new audiobook. Thank you, netgalley, macmillan audio, becky chambers, everyone! In this book, Dex and Mosscap are back in the world populated by humans and Mosscap is learning about human existence. In the last book, Dex was having a bit of an existential crisis, but in this book Mosscap is learning what humans need and how humans work. This book is very loving, even when it discusses hard topics, and I love the humor Mosscap brings throughout. A truly excellent book. I am already recommending it around.

This book is a unique journey into an idyllic world that I think most of us would like to lose ourselves in. Mosscap asks deep philosophical questions, while being childlike in enthusiasm leading to a lovable-ness that most characters can't achieve. Based on the social commentary, I think Chambers and I would disagree fundamentally and philosophically on most aspects of society and civilization, but she presents her world and characters in such a way that I can appreciate the world that they want to create and that the author appears to dream of. It is such a unique experience to be able to pleasantly disagree with something. Due to the question based exploration evident in this book, I have asked those questions of myself along with the characters. A series I will continue to read, despite my aforementioned disagreements with the majority of the social commentary evident in the book.