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A review by ralovesbooks
A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers
4.0
–
Dex would never forget. “You walked out of the woods, and you said, ‘What do you need, and how can I help?’”
Mosscap smiled at this. “I remember, yes.”
“Well, I didn’t know then,” Dex said, “and I still don’t. But what I do know is … you help. You’re helping me figure it out. Just by being here. You help.”
“Then we have the same answer,” Mosscap said. “I don’t know either. But you are my best help, Sibling Dex.”
–
I loved the first installment in this series, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and I read it 5 times in 3 months last year. It was exactly the book I needed at the time, and I couldn’t wait to hang out with Dex and Mosscap again. I never use this phrase, but A Prayer for the Crown-Shy was my most anticipated release of 2022, and I eagerly picked up my copy from my local indie.
I really enjoyed it. I always love a quest story, and this trilogy is that structure, although a sort of quiet take on it. The tone is a similar non-didactic contemplation that I found in Psalm, but this time considering ideas like purpose, companionship, space, and thriving. The passage I quoted above resonated so strongly because in the past 6 months, I have benefited greatly from people who have been here with me and helped me figure things out. It reminds me of that old saw, “Don’t just say something, stand there!” I hope that I can do the same for others and perhaps even be someone’s “best help.”
I don’t have the same visceral connection with this book that I had with Psalm, but that’s okay. I love the world of Panga, and I wave my card proudly as a shouting member of the Becky Chambers Fan Club! I think she’s a genius in how she asks these deep questions about existence without being heavy-handed or prescriptive. Reading this book while drinking tea, listening to my wood-wick candle crackle, and hearing birdsong was a peak reading experience, and I’m so glad to have this beautiful little book on my shelf.
Dex would never forget. “You walked out of the woods, and you said, ‘What do you need, and how can I help?’”
Mosscap smiled at this. “I remember, yes.”
“Well, I didn’t know then,” Dex said, “and I still don’t. But what I do know is … you help. You’re helping me figure it out. Just by being here. You help.”
“Then we have the same answer,” Mosscap said. “I don’t know either. But you are my best help, Sibling Dex.”
–
I loved the first installment in this series, A Psalm for the Wild-Built, and I read it 5 times in 3 months last year. It was exactly the book I needed at the time, and I couldn’t wait to hang out with Dex and Mosscap again. I never use this phrase, but A Prayer for the Crown-Shy was my most anticipated release of 2022, and I eagerly picked up my copy from my local indie.
I really enjoyed it. I always love a quest story, and this trilogy is that structure, although a sort of quiet take on it. The tone is a similar non-didactic contemplation that I found in Psalm, but this time considering ideas like purpose, companionship, space, and thriving. The passage I quoted above resonated so strongly because in the past 6 months, I have benefited greatly from people who have been here with me and helped me figure things out. It reminds me of that old saw, “Don’t just say something, stand there!” I hope that I can do the same for others and perhaps even be someone’s “best help.”
I don’t have the same visceral connection with this book that I had with Psalm, but that’s okay. I love the world of Panga, and I wave my card proudly as a shouting member of the Becky Chambers Fan Club! I think she’s a genius in how she asks these deep questions about existence without being heavy-handed or prescriptive. Reading this book while drinking tea, listening to my wood-wick candle crackle, and hearing birdsong was a peak reading experience, and I’m so glad to have this beautiful little book on my shelf.