ARC Review: As You Wake, Break the Shell
Summary: (from Harper Collins): Life on the resource-poor planet of Fortune is challenging, but for its inhabitants, it’s home. For two of them, Signy and Cora, this home might no longer be enough.
Signy is a brilliant but reclusive botanist who bio-prints medicine from her small plant shop, often bending the rules to help those the system leaves behind. Her life is filled with the green of her store, the warmth of her one elderly friend, and the quiet determination to help others without putting herself in danger.
Cora is a rorqual pilot, one of the few with the unique ability to navigate the massive, living ships that connect the scattered settlements of their solar system. Her bond with her rorqual, Colibri, is profound—a connection that is both her greatest gift and a threat to her career.
It is that threat—the “mindbleed,” a dangerous side effect of her piloting—that brings her to Signy’s shop, and her appearance puts Signy in the danger she so fears. But it’s soon apparent it’s not just about losing her license—this delicate balance between risk and trust has the potential to change everything for them.
Told in an alternating timeline of their initial coming together and a not-so-distant future where they have found domestic bliss, this is a story harrowing and haunting, heartfelt and hopeful. Through a love story centered around survival, we are given a glimpse into the very best of what Becky Chambers does in her writing: explore what it means to be human, and what it means to come together.
When I heard there was a new Becky Chambers book coming out soon, I was stoked. I thoroughly love both the Monk and Robot books and the Wayfarers series, and I was so excited to read something new by one of my favorite authors that I convinced a group of friends to join me in seeing her live to talk about it in October. The day I bought the tickets for the event, I received an instagram message that I’d won an ARC (advance readers copy) of the book! A few days later, it was mine.
Once I started this book, I could not put it down. Chambers’ worldbuilding is incredible and immersive. Her characters feel real and honest, and the emotions of this story are raw in a way that only comes from experience.
I don’t want to spoil too much, since most people don’t have access to this masterpiece yet, but I’ll leave some thoughts here and perhaps do a full review later.
We follow two main characters, Signy and Cora, across two timelines. While this might seem confusing, and takes a little getting used to at first, Chambers blends the past and future in a beautiful way. Chambers also uses a ‘countdown’ to build intrigue and suspense, while making it clear (through the future scenes) that these characters, at least, are not in too much danger. We get to see a slice of life in two wonderfully rich sci-fi settings as these characters navigate relationships, society, and passion/purpose.
My main issue (if you could call it that) was that I didn’t fully feel satisfied with the ending. According to her website, though, there will be more, and hopefully that will tie it all together!
If and when you read this book, reach out! I’d love to chat about it. Until then, let me know if you have any similar recommendations that I can read in the meantime.
