This book is a balm for the burnt-out. It is slow, meditative, and charming. I liked the idea of the world, and the thought that humans had learned to set boundaries on their conquest and supremacy--what an idea honestly. I would have appreciated lingering a bit more with the tea service before taking off, however the journey was enjoyable. The messaging around being versus doing is a focus area for me in the past year or so, and I appreciated the way it was expressed here. I look forward to reading the second novella (currently on hold in my Libby!)

(Also, to those saying they/them does not work in literature, you are quite simply wrong. It did not add confusion to the text to have our protagonist be non-binary, and I honestly look forward to more inclusion in literature in this area. Singular they/them is not new.)