I didn’t enjoy A Closed and Common Orbit as much as The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, but I still enjoyed it! Don’t get me wrong, this book had its charm, but it lacked the action and pacing of the first one. The story is quieter and way more introspective. Most of the big "plot stuff" only kicks in during the last chapter of Part 2 and Part 3, which made the earlier parts feel slower to me. The heart of this novel lies in its characters and their personal journeys. The way Sidra and Pepper’s stories mirror each other is one of the best parts, though I think I enjoyed Pepper's POV more overall. Becky Chambers continues to build out her universe beautifully, and I loved the little details about alien species, like the Aeluons and their unique ability to express emotions through shimmer. That said, I wish there had been more worldbuilding like in the first book. What didn’t click with me was the lack of a strong central conflict or mission. In Book 1, we knew "the plan" pretty early, which helped keep the story moving. Here, I wasn’t sure where things were going for most of the book, which made the pace uneven. The themes of belonging, identity, and relationships are lovely, but the story leaned so heavily into those that I missed the balance of character exploration and action from the first book.
The parallels between Sidra and Pepper, both figuring out what it means to be “human,” are really well done. The worldbuilding is great too, though I wish there was a bit more of it, like in Book 1. This one feels slower and more cozy, not much happens plot wise. Even though Book 1 was cozy too, it had a bit more action than this.
The reunion of Pepper and Owl was incredibly touching. The shared space for Owl and Sidra feels a little weird to me, but the ending was heartwarming, especially with Owl finally being able to touch and hug Pepper. I just wish we’d gotten more of their interactions at the end, along with more about the network installation and Sidra’s pet bots. Even though it wasn’t quite what I was expecting, the last part of the book had me hooked, and I devoured it. Still a strong 4/5 stars rating from me.
