Reviews tagging 'Grief'

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

51 reviews

dazzle_spider_reader_1212's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted relaxing sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Cursing, Grief, and Child abuse

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

solenekeleroux's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Slavery, Child abuse, Child death, and Confinement

Moderate: Alcohol, Dysphoria, Blood, and Drug use

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-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 sat I my kitchen crying as

Owl told Pepper not to cry and that she was there, and I didn't stop crying till the end of the book, though the tears were for a variety of different emotions. These characters are so easy to love. Sidra learning how to be a person, including her inate instincts and not ridding herself of the unique aspects that are core to her is such a huge and beautiful storyline, which I read as allegorical for neurodivergence. Tak is a great friend, and Owl getting to see Pepper and Blue Shepard Sidra into personhood as she'd done for Pepper was beautiful. Sidra and Owl getting to share digital space is beautiful and I long for a continuation of the story in which AI are granted legal personhood. I know the series continues and god I hope that change in political landscape is a part of it. My heart is full with Owl and her reunion with Pepper; being able to finally hug the girl she's loved and raised for years. My heart breaks for Lovey and what could have been.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical content, Sexual content, Child abuse, Child death, Animal death, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Confinement, and Grief

Minor: Deportation and Slavery

joey_schafer's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.75

This was really good, despite being so far my least favorite Becky Chambers book. A little more depressing than her other books, but really well-written still. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Slavery, and Animal death

Moderate: Grief, Xenophobia, and Death

Minor: Blood

librarianmage's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, and Slavery

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Drug use

overbooked207's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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

4.0

📖 A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers Book Review 📖

6th book of August and 23rd of the year:

The sequel to one of my all-time favorite books, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, this book follows an important character from the first book along with a whole new cast of great characters. It was heartfelt, inspiring, adventurous, and fun, had lyrical, atmospheric, and beautiful writing, complex and lovable characters, and queer, PTSD, disability, anxiety, and more representation, and it explored what it means to be human and the importance of community and togetherness. The series is still heavily character-based, which I love, but this installment had more action than the first, so people who enjoy more plot-based stories will enjoy that aspect of it. Personally, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is still my favorite in the series, but this was another amazing adventure, and I definitely recommend it and all other Becky Chambers' books! TW for PTSD, anxiety, abuse, animal death, ableism, child death, death, child abuse, drug use, vomit, violence, grief, gaslighting, injury/injury detail, captivity, slavery, mental illness, gore, blood, explosions/fire injury, mentions of sex, mentions of food, murder, and medical content📚🚀🔭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Death, Blood, Animal death, Slavery, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Vomit, Violence, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Medical content, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, and Murder

deedireads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-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? No

4.75

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.


A Closed and Common Orbit is the sequel to The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. When I learned that it was set in the same universe but not about the same crew of characters, I was sad. And tbh, I would definitely still read a sequel about those characters specifically. But this was also so lovely that I ended up anything but disappointed! I shoulda known Becky Chambers would deliver.

The main character of this book is an advanced AI program who’s been decoupled from the ship she was created to run and placed inside a body kit. That’s illegal, though, so she goes to live with a side character from TLWTASAP, work as her assistant, and attempt to blend in. The story is about her struggle to adjust to a body that isn’t *her*, explain that dysphoria to those who love her, and forge authentic friendships of her own. At the same time, we get more and more backstory on the woman she lives with, until the two plots come together into an exciting ending.

So, that sounds very sci-fi, and obviously that’s the genre, but again, Chambers’ books aren’t about the AI or the science or space battles; they’re about characters and found family and self-acceptance. I was blown away by how much this said about real people’s experiences with body dysmorphia and society’s xenophobia through the metaphor of an AI living in a human body.

Another heartwarming, cozy, beautiful read from an author who will never disappoint me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Slavery, Animal death, and Grief

fretsandflour's review against another edition

adventurous challenging 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Xenophobia, Ableism, and Grief

Minor: Vomit

lipstickitotheman's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, and Suicidal thoughts