As You Wake, Break the Shell is slow, introspective, and beautiful. As with other Chambers books, it's slice-of-life scifi that ruminates heavily on humanity and what it means to exist. There's also dual POVs and timelines that I found confusing at first, but brought so much richness.

The character work here is spectacular. I hesitate to call this a slow burn romance becuase that feels inadequate to describe the gentle evolution of love between Signy and Cora. Watching the two of them fall in love felt so real in a way that I find a lot of books can't or don't capture. If you're a plot reader, you'll likely feel frustrated with the slow pace of dates, meeting friends, and tackling of a variety of life events. But. That's also how we fall in love.

Colibri and Cora's relationship is a thing of beauty. We're front and center to two beings trying to understand each other, adapt to one another, express their love, and ultimately find ways through the unintentional hurt we all cause occasionally.

This book is a journey, a character study, and one that will be there for you even as you take breaks or put it down. Take your time with it and let the characters worm their way into your heart.

In summation, yes Colibri bones are a nightmare. And yes, love is the only logical response to existence.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Voyager for the ARC.