A review by solarmuser
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

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

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series, but I found myself much more interested and hooked by this second book. The first book felt like a collection of stories, almost episodic in nature. It felt like watching star trek, every chapter a new adventure, with some character plot woven into the background. In this book, the two plots progress fully, and blend together well. I was on the edge of my seat reading Jane's/Pepper's story, and could barely put the book down. It was tense, exciting, and powerful. Sidra's plot was based more in emotion in contrast, but was fascinating and thought provoking in it's own right. The themes of the book regarding AI and sentiance push you to think deeply, and the conclusions presented by the end feel worth the journey. I haven't been brought to tears by reading in quite some time, but this book led me there. Im excited to see what other stories exist in this universe.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death

There are wild, aggressive dogs featured heavily in some parts of the book, and one of the characters must use them as a food source. The scenes where they are killed are quick, but could be triggering to some if you have a hard time with animal death. They are easy to predict and skip.