I :: liked :: "A long way to a small, angry planet", but it didn't blow me away. It was a fun read, but it left me sort of luke warm. By chance, I decided to read this sequel, and I'm so glad I did. I loved it. Maybe I was just in the right mind-space for this book, or maybe it's that Becky Chambers found her stride with the second book in the series, but somehow it all hung together much better for me.

It was great reading about FRIENDSHIP and not romantic love. This really is about that idea of the found family.

I found the various characters' stories gripping and believable, and I cared what happened to all of them. I loved the way they look after one another, and still have believable disagreements and frustrations. The whole thing about what it must be like for an AI who used to inhabit a ship, to now inhabit a body was fascinating and beautifully handled.

A great book to read if you're feeling a little bit bruised by the world.