Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

19 reviews

isabyrne's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This is the second book to the Wayfarers world. After having read The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, you can read the other Wayfarers books in any order, but I would read this one next. It is a standalone that takes place during the final moments of the first book, and features characters who make a small appearance in the first book. 

 

This book is quite different from The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. At first I felt disappointed that it didn't keep following the characters from The Long Way, but I got over that very quickly — it's really special in it's own way. It still has that Becky Chambers touch that is about taking care of yourself and others. 

This book is much more intimate in scope. You closely follow two characters over two timelines. This book is all about those characters' development over a long period of time. It is about the struggles of discovering oneself and finding your place in the world. It is also about finding your people in difficult circumstances. Some parts of it were sad and heartbreaking to read, but left me with an optimistic feeling. You get to know the characters really deeply and feel very protective of them and their happiness. 

I really loved the parts of this book that were "on the ground" as one other reviewer put it, where you get a taste of everyday life in Becky Chambers' universe through the eyes of a character experiencing it for the first time: mingling with other species, ordering food, going to parties, reading text chats. It feels very grounded and was one of my favourite features of the book. It made a world I was already in love with feel so real and relatable. 

 

Overall, it is a great book. It didn’t have the same impact that The Long Way did for me, because I really enjoyed the multiple-character, plot-driven nature of the first book, but it was nonetheless touching, affective, and hopeful in this author’s unique way. Becky Chambers just has this way of writing that is deeply sentimental and impactful. Her books just have so much damn HEART. At this point I will read anything in this universe that Becky Chambers puts out and can't wait to continue on with the rest of the series. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Dysphoria, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Slavery

daniella_lo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Abandonment, and Death

ratatouilllie's review against another edition

adventurous sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Cursing, Death, Grief, Blood, Child abuse, Confinement, Colonisation, Violence, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Child death

Minor: Infertility, Excrement, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Xenophobia, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Gore

karoliiine's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Dysphoria, Slavery, Animal death, Child abuse, Ableism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Blood, Child death, Medical content, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Classism, and Grief

Minor: Infertility, Cursing, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Sexual content

dancers_and_dragons's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Becky Chambers explores what it means to be a person in every which way throughout this poignant companion to The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet. While initially I was disappointed in not getting to see what the main cast of the first novel were up to, I quickly was swept up in the new family being found in this novel. 

This book was heartfelt and emotional in the best of ways, from the interactions between characters to the descriptions of memories, to the heart-wrenching low moments of the two main characters when they hit their lowest points. Without giving anything away, it's the story of two who are more alike than they know trying to make it through their respective journeys and managing the hiccups that come up along the way. I deeply appreciated the world building, much as I did with Chambers' first book, and I can't wait to read the next one when I have a chance. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Slavery

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, and Classism

Minor: Cannibalism, Medical content, Xenophobia, War, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Eating disorder

andloveistoolong's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I enjoyed the first book in this series well enough, but this one was definitely a step up. It had a totally engrossing story, characters I fell in love with, basically the whole package.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Physical abuse, Animal death, Slavery, Trafficking, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Gun violence, Violence, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Child death, Classism, Death, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

Minor: Dysphoria, Drug use, Medical content, Gore, and Infertility

dreareads_'s review

emotional lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

<i> "The Enhanced call us m-misfits. People who don't suit their intended purpose. So, maybe, ah, maybe you're a misfit, too. doesn't mean you're not deserving. Doesn't mean you shouldn't be here" </i> 

Another beautiful 5 Stars for Becky Chambers.

There are many things I could say about this book:
1) Sidra is such a wonderfully round and heartbreaking character. Watchig Sidra become comfortable with who she is is a beautiful journey.
2) Jane's/Pepper's story is one of perseverance and love. I sobbed so many times just reading about her history.
3) Every single character in this book is someone you want to be friends with. PROTECT BLUE AT ALL COSTS!! Tak, such a delightful character!
4) An ending that will leave you crying with love and joy, I still haven't recovered from it.

BUT The two main takeaways of this book are the masterful writing and the vivid world building. 
One of the best examples of Chambers talent is the scene where Jane is learning new words from Owl. That entire passage made me stop and read it over and over again because it was so brilliant. 

The world Chambers creates feels lived in, especially when you include the fun online forums that add that extra magic.

I just, want to read everything and anything she writes. I want to live in any universe Chamber creates.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Violence, Slavery, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Child death, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Grief, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

theatrealpaca's review

challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abandonment, Ableism, Animal death, Vomit, Medical content, Confinement, Alcohol, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, and Injury/Injury detail

oznogon's review

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Minor: War, Slavery, Physical abuse, Confinement, Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Death

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Child abuse

Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Body horror, Child death, Medical content, Vomit, Blood, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting