Weekly Reads // Robots and Witches

I'm slipping, I feel it. I only listened to books this past week when I could have easily physically read Lola at Last. I have that feeling where I am so excited to read a book that I really hope it doesn't disappoint. So instead of just seeing if I like the book, I just hold off on it. This standoff with Lola at Last is making me behind once again with my reading goal of 100 books. I was at 2 books behind and now I am at 3. I refuse to go back to 4 books behind. Let's focus on what I actually read, shall we?

Centuries before, robots of Panga gained self-awareness, laid down their tools, wandered, en masse into the wilderness, never to be seen again. They faded into myth and urban legend.

Now the life of the tea monk who tells this story is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. They will need to ask it a lot. Chambers' series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?

A Psalm for the Wild Built is essentially a quiet, cozy existential crisis read. Dex is feeling lost. They decide to leave their life at what I believe is like a temple to become a roaming tea monk. Tea monks essentially are counselors that give you the right tea that you need to comfort your worries. It's a really delightful occupation to follow around especially since we are in the future where it's like the world has solved its issues. There's a lot of simple living and large stretches of land. At least that's how I picture the world. 

However, Dex later finds with the help of a robot, Splendid Speckled Mosscap, that they don't feel like they are fulfilling their purpose which is where my short sentence summary comes in about that existential crisis. Mosscap is an interesting character who's got that quirky robot behavior down pact. They don't have proper social skills so that could be funny at times. I enjoyed learning about the fictitious world of Panga and the robot's past. I think these two met each other for a reason. They are both feeling a bit directionless in the world and I would say they might feel like outsiders. I'm looking forward to reading the next book. It's just got the perfect mix of cozy vibes with a good dose of friendship and reflection on life. Would definitely recommend.

Seven Salazar is a Spare.

And now, she's the most famous Spare in the Twelve Towns, along with Valley Pepperhorn and Thorn Laroux, her two best friends.

After being named the new town Uncle, she's undergoing intense training to learn how to use her abilities to communicate with animals. But Seven has a secret: the only creatures’ voices she hears clearly are those of monstruos. Something is terribly wrong with Seven’s magic.

Meanwhile, it's the Golden Frog Games, a week of magical competitions among the Champions of the twelve towns, and Thorn is competing in fashion design!

But when Thorn's competitors start to get turned to stone, suspicion lands on Thorn and the other Witchlings. Despite their fame, there are still many in the town who think that only the Spares would sink so low to win.

Can Seven overcome the problems with her magic and find out who is stonifying the competitors . . . before Thorn becomes next victim?

I audibly gasped when I saw this was available to listen to at my library. I feel like I am no good at continuing on series but I've been proving myself wrong. I've been very excited for many sequels and I hope to keep that going.

So I feel like this may have suffered from second-book syndrome. It isn't as good as the first. I think since all three friends were fighting most of the time, it wasn't fun anymore. I didn't feel as much of a  connection towards the characters compared to the first book. I completely forgot that Valley's dad was rightfully accused of abuse and Valley's mom stood up for her. It sucked reading that the townspeople were victim shaming but I still feel like I missed Valley. She is my favorite character and I would have liked to read how she first met her girlfriend and the start of her crush on her as well as how she was dealing with issues with her dad. I mean it was talked about but I would have preferred to read her POV. Reading from all the girls' POV, not only Seven, would have made this better.

I still had a good time. Seven got a love interest and he's really sweet to Seven. The Spares who are treated like second-class citizens are finally trying to get more rights which made this a lot more page-turnworthy. Also, Seven's conflict regarding hearing only monstrous and not animals was intriguing to read. I love that she is more powerful because she draws on the monstrous. 

I do want to read what happens in the final book. This one focused a lot on Thorn and the Golden Frog Games. I love sewing so it was cool to read about the ways in which she imbued magic into the clothes she made. I am thinking Valley is going to have a bigger plotline next time and since she's my favorite character I am hyped to get more of her story. I'm just hoping the three girls are together more because I think that'll make me like the third book a lot better.