A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

I'm confused. This very definitely reads as YA, but I‘m not seeing YA listed in the Goodreads genres. It feels like a huge disconnect: what am I missing?

Anyhow, sweet but unfulfilling. Perhaps that's the point? That there is no fulfillment to be found in life, no Ultimate Purpose? The two books in the series are a simplified amalgam of existentialist philosophy, Buddhism, introductory Ethics, with a lot of Frankl Lite. Monk and Robot debate the nature of consciousness and perception, mind/body dualism, our impact as living beings whose existence depends on the death of other living beings. All of it centers around [Sentient Beings'] Search for Meaning. Much handwringing, no resolution, just continuing to stumble along. Much like life.

The Robot mechanics still make no sense, nor does Robot consciousness despite a halfhearted attempt to address it. Nor does this particular Robot, charming though it may be: its childlike innocence feels more and more forced. I deliberately chose not to say “heavyhanded” in my review of the first one, but can't avoid doing so now. It's clunky. The cultural dynamics make no sense either, nor do interpersonal relationships. Real people just don't behave that way, in more ways than I could cover in a few paragraphs. Bonus points, though, for a subtly lovely description of kintsugi without using the word kintsugi; for the two grinworthy pages in which Dex tries to explain their (Dex's) parents' polycule to a robot; and for really warm friendship themes. And, hell, simply because it's Chambers. Not her best work, but again that's probably just me and where I'm coming from. Give these books to a Young Adult in your life - the themes here might just be new to them, and might shape them into better humans.