Plot: 5/5
The plot follows Dex, a monk who is unsatisfied with their current circumstances in life, and searches out to find what is missing. Along the way they run into something they thought was lost to history, only a myth, and humanity hasn’t interacted with in centuries. A self-aware robot.

This tale is one that focuses on finding what’s missing in life, and answering difficult questions. Mosscap, the robot, wishes to know “what do people need?” But there’s not really one answer to that. And Dex wants to know what is missing in their life. The tale is beautifully written and the journey is entertaining from beginning to end, and there were times in my life where I understood Dex and their journey. I thought the plot itself was phenomenal, without much, if any, wasted time on the page.

Characters: 5/5
The two main characters were excellent as written. Becky Chambers once again brings her amazing skill to the page for her characters, especially the non-human Mosscap. She is able to bring brilliant insight into the mind of Mosscap, and guide the readers into learning more about the character and a completely different thought and understanding than the way humans typically think. These characters are some of the strongest part of the book, and the exploration of them is done to perfection.

Worldbuilding: 5/5
With the little amount of time there is to this page, there is a ton of worldbuilding that is done. We learn about major events in history as they tie to the characters and their own inner journeys. The way the history and worldbuilding was pulled into other parts of the story allowed it to be built up passively, and didn’t require much time spent on it. And this was done so masterfully, I felt like I had a strong understanding of the world within less than 150 pages.

Writing: 5/5
The writing for this book was fantastic. Becky Chambers has beautiful voice and prose to her books, and the pacing for the story was perfectly done.

Enjoyability: 5/5
If you couldn’t tell, I loved this book. It is up there as one of my favorite reads of the year so far. I loved the characters in the story, and vibed a lot with Dex’s self-exploration as they searched for what was missing in their life. It was entertaining and humorous throughout, and emotional at times as well. I am looking forward to the next book dropping this summer, and I’m sure I will devour it soon after it launches!

OVERALL: 5/5 Cups of Tea