Clara Gutierrez is an AI repair technician and a wanderer. Her childhood with her migrant worker family has left her uncomfortable with lingering for too long, so she moves from place to place across retro-futuristic America.
Sal is a fully autonomous robot. Older than the law declaring her kind illegal due to ethical concerns, she is at best out of place in society and at worst vilified. She continues to run the tea shop previously owned by her long-dead master, lost in memories of the past, struggling to fulfill her master's dream for the shop while slowly breaking down.
They meet by chance, but as they begin to spend time together, they both start to wrestle with the concept of moving on...
A F/F retro-future sci-fi asexual romance. A story about artificial intelligence and real kindness, about love, and the feeling of watching steam rising softly from a teacup on a bright and quiet morning.
Staff Choice: Isabelle
This is a sweet and gentle story about a technician and a robot who fall in love. Although this book may be short, it isn’t at all lacking in depth. I’m a huge fan of books that make me think, and this book invites philosophical/existential questions such as: What makes us human? is it our ability to learn new things? a robot can do that, or is it our ability to feel? An AI has sensors that can be programmed to feel just about anything. This set against the backdrop of a cozy tea shop combined with asexual representation made for an extraordinary read.
Staff Choice: Iris
If, like me, you enjoy tea and books, you should most definitely check out this novella! It's a wholesome, bite-size morsel of a story about a technician specialized in AI creatures who never stays in one place for very long, and a fully autonomous construct who has been running the tea shop left behind by her former master for almost 300 years. It's short, it's sweet, but it definitely doesn't lack depth despite its comparative slimness. The beautifully crafted asexual romance doesn't hurt either. I loved it! Absolutely perfect for people who enjoyed A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers and Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree.
