As You Wake, Break the Shell
Oct. 21st, 2026 01:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearCan I be disappointed by a four-star reading experience?
Apparently so - especially when it's a Becky Chambers book.
Don't get me wrong - As You Wake, Break the Shell is a really good book - I think my expectations were too high and I'm sure a lot of other people will enjoy it more than I did.
And I did really enjoy it!
It's about two women living on a colony on a farflung planet, with a toxic atmosphere and limited resources, basically just trying to live their lives and make the best of a difficult situation.
And parts of it are *glorious* - especially when the story involves the side characters (Colibri and Otto in particular). I found parts of the romance absolutely adorable and really heartwarming, too - though mostly, when the story focused just on Cora and Signy (together or alone), it felt a bit flat to me.
It was never remotely any kind of chore to read - but it just wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be, and I was also very confused by certain things about the ending.
I'll definitely read the sequel, though!
Apparently so - especially when it's a Becky Chambers book.
Don't get me wrong - As You Wake, Break the Shell is a really good book - I think my expectations were too high and I'm sure a lot of other people will enjoy it more than I did.
And I did really enjoy it!
It's about two women living on a colony on a farflung planet, with a toxic atmosphere and limited resources, basically just trying to live their lives and make the best of a difficult situation.
And parts of it are *glorious* - especially when the story involves the side characters (Colibri and Otto in particular). I found parts of the romance absolutely adorable and really heartwarming, too - though mostly, when the story focused just on Cora and Signy (together or alone), it felt a bit flat to me.
It was never remotely any kind of chore to read - but it just wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be, and I was also very confused by certain things about the ending.
I'll definitely read the sequel, though!
