The Procrastinators Book Club discussion

Welcome to the Cytonic Buddy Read Discussion thread! This thread officially opens on January 6tht and anyone can join at any time. Please keep in mind that spoilers are allowed in this thread but only up to the group's current reading place. Do not spoil the book if you've read further than the group. Any extra days can be used to catch up!

Each day we will be reading by chapters or page numbers. Page numbers are an approximation based on the hardcover or paperback that is the default on Goodreads. The suggested Buddy Read discussion schedule is as follows:

Week of 01/06
January 6: Chapters 1-6
January 7: Chapters 6-12
January 8: Chapters 13-18
January 9: Chapters 19-24

Week of 01/10
January 10: Chapters 25-30
January 11: Chapters 31-36
January 12: Chapters 37-42
January 13: Chapters 42-end

PARTICIPANTS
~ Mina
~ HeatherH
~ Jen K

I'm going to be a bit behind schedule, since I haven't finished ReDawn, and don't know if there's something that is important for Cytonics. But *fingers crossed* maybe tomorrow.

I won't be starting until tomorrow.

I was going to ask if you all want to delay our start. I'm ready anytime but more fun if you all are ready. Just let me know.

I will start another book tonight. I just got approved for work travel and need to clear out my hardcover borrows before I go.

I'm pretty sure I'll start it tonight. And even if I don't start it, the first 6 chapters for me are 50 pages + I have the audio so I should be able to catch up fast.

How goes the reading?

I stated it the day before yesterday, but only read the prologue and the first chapter

(view spoiler)[I'm intrigued about who the cytonic is, also the place where she landed seems interesting. Poor M-bot getting overwhelmed with feelings and Spensa's betrayal. (hide spoiler)]

Now I'm going to continue reading, I don't know how much I'll read but I'll comment.

I read the first day, chapters 1-6, last night. I can stick to the same pace or catch up to original schedule?

(view spoiler)[I like how M-Bot keeps evolving. I wonder if M-Bot will end up liking the new form of being a drone? Definitely allows the AI to be a bit more involved in the story. The response to emotions and feelings is pretty funny.

Not sure what kind of trap Spensa got herself into. I assume the kind delver really does have good intentions and hopefully she can learn more about Cytonics. Not sure about Chet yet. He seems a good guy but who knows.

The evil delver leaping from body to body is pretty creepy so they had best keep moving. (hide spoiler)]

I don't know how Heather is progressing. However, I plan *fingers crossed* to finish chapter 12 or get close to it.

The first few chapters were a quick read for me. Will keep going.

@Jen, I agree the first couple of chapters flew by so fast, but they were also short.. Let's hope the rest is the same, because it pulls you even more to finish the book.

Just random... I did not know Spensa had a last name, I mean I guess everyone has one, but I didn't know it was Nightshade. If it was mentioned in Skyward I had forgotten it.

Ch. 3 (view spoiler)[😂😂😂 for a second I thought Spensa was cytonicly speaking with a dinosaur (hide spoiler)]

4-6 (view spoiler)[What do we think of Chet?
It's interesting that the pin she has from her father is a reality pin, why did he have it? This world, jungle at the end of world, is getting more and more interesting. I like that through out the series we move through Spensa's galaxy to see all that it has to offer. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 7-12 (view spoiler)[
Time doesn't exist? I may see why the delvers get pissed 😂😅 But I want to see how will that play into the story.. also.. could Chet be one of the humans that tried calling the delver to Detritus to control it? I mean he is old..

Oh how cute M-bot getting a new interest in cacti.. and then Spensa sending him off to look for mushrooms 😂
🤣 cacti are desert mashrooms.

😲😲 Could Chet be M-bot's pilot? I mean the time would fit.

I hadn’t even brought him any dead orc carcasses, which I was pretty sure was the way the stories said to show a guy you wanted to go official
Omg, imagine that. But also, I wouldn't put it pass Spensa if it's in an old story 😂

Okay, so when Spensa talks with Jorgen how Cuna is trapped.. In Sunreach it's a rescue mission so the novella stories haven't happened at this time.

(hide spoiler)]

Ch 7-12

(view spoiler)[ It is are really weird world. Time is weird and it is creepy how Chet lost his and the hungry look it gives him with the reality pin and sand. I'm still a bit confused by the reality pin. Is it something intentionally made to maintain reality or somehow just tied to reality?

Poor M-Bot, it sucks trying to figure out emotions and processing that Spensa left him. Cacti are awesome like desert mushroom. I really like how each fragment is a different kind of ecosystem and how much Spensa is enjoying her adventure.

Chet is most likely M-Bot's pilot. I wonder why he dislikes him so much. Is it a pre- lost in nowhere thing or something that got imprinted from living in Nowhere.

Ooohhh, good to know that I haven't missed too much from the novellas. (hide spoiler)]

Finished Ch 13-18

(view spoiler)[ Spensa seems to be working on emotions and trusting others as much as M-Bot. I think she was right to be suspect of Chet though. He is a bit random to fully believe. I hope he heals well. I also hope that she isn't losing herself at the time.

I'm excited to see what adventures the pirates bring. I love pirates! (hide spoiler)]

Hey friends.. down with covid and it's put me behind on books. I'll be back here later this week for this one!

HeatherH wrote: "Hey friends.. down with covid and it's put me behind on books. I'll be back here later this week for this one!"

Hope you feel better!

Ch 13-26+interlude
(view spoiler)[ Should we be less or not suspicious at all of Chet now? I mean I'm a bit more okay with him.

😂 Spensa is definitively going to try to be the pirate champion, like there's no other option because she was so excited about it when she heard about it.

I'm intrigued which aliens made The Beast..

On one hand it's nice that wherever Spensa goes she teaches someone something about flying and fighting, but on the other hand I'm feeling a tad meh about it because she already did that with the Starsight crew. (hide spoiler)]

I may be in a slump, I'm not entirely sure 😅 but I'm not that engrossed in this story.

HeatherH wrote: "Hey friends.. down with covid and it's put me behind on books. I'll be back here later this week for this one!"

Hope it isn't too bad and you feel better soon!

Perhaps too much of the Skyward universe at once? It doesn't help that the stories are very similar. Skyward was amazing because it seemed so fresh and new.

Cytonic is a bit of a parallel of Starsight. In Starsight, she was constantly freaking out about being found out as an imposter and busy training found family and positive that only she can save everyone. In Cytonic, she freaks out about losing memories, busy training found family and positive that only she can save everyone.

I'm enjoying it but it isn't quite as exciting the third time around. Sadly the memories on the path aren't that interesting to keep the momentum and anticipation.

Read through Ch 30.
(view spoiler)[ Of course, she was going to try for pirate champion!! I'm really happy that Hesho is still alive but sad that he forgot who is and is one of the bad pirates. Hope they sort out and fix this losing memories thing by the end. (hide spoiler)]

Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one that isn't really feeling this book. I'll try to at least do half of the remaining chapters today.

I read a bit more than intended last night- up to Ch 37. I may finish it off today.

(view spoiler)[ The big battle was a bit anticlimactic but glad it wasn't too strung out. I love that Hesho is kind of back in his own mind. Also loving that the reality icon is actually Doomslug!! It really makes so much more sense.

The truce offered by the Delvers is too good to be true. It sounds like a lovely vacation but not sure Spensa is a vacation kind of girl. Wondering what the Delvers are so afraid of that they keep attacking and offer this truce is keeping me moving in the book. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 29-30 (view spoiler)[Since people that shouldn't exist exist I'm still thinking that her father is somehow alive.. I don't remember what we were told about his death in the first book but 🤷‍♀️ so the DDF moves Darkshadow has makes me question things again.
Okay, so I'm not the only one thinking that maybe it's Spensa's father.. but it's Hesho!

* Omg, she told Lion king 😂
* It's interesting how while she is slowly forgetting things from her life she clearly remembers the stories Gran-Gran told her. It just shows how big of a part of her are the warrior stories.
* I wonder what will happen, assuming she'll finally get to Detritus by the end of the book, and then she'll actually have to eat.
* Spensa mentiones Elysium and then I remembered the short Sanderson story I read and not long ago saw that was part of the Skyward series. It's called Defending Elysium, and I just read the synopsis and it mentions Jason Write (hide spoiler)]

mina wrote: "Ch 29-30 "

(view spoiler)[ I don't remember how her father dies either but I think he really did die. I was a bit surprised by Hesho, mostly in the skill shown. I don't remember that ship being quite so good and certainly there was a team and adaptations for their size so that this did confuse me a bit. Glad he's back though!

*Yes, she told Lion King! One of the great warrior stories up there with Genghis Khan. Its these little details that makes these books so enjoyable even when the overall plot is less as exciting.
* Ha ha, it is odd to think of eating as odd. Is there no taste in the Nowhere?
*Nice tip, I really didn't know where he was going with that and just filed for later. I will have to look it up. (hide spoiler)]

I started playing a game while listening to the book hoping the time will pass faster and I almost missed (view spoiler)[Doomslug being the icon. And awwwww, Doomslug thinks of Spensa as home. These slugs are damn adorable. From all Sanderson things I read this month, the novellas look the best and mostly because slugs 😂 (hide spoiler)]

Ch 39(view spoiler)[ Well damn.. This is definitely the most exiting part for me. Chet actually being a Delver, which is actually a hundred of years developed AI 🤯🤯 And it only took 86%. (hide spoiler)]

Finished the book. So glad it's over. It was okay but also a bit of a disappointment.
(view spoiler)[ Things kinda were a copy/paste of Starsight.. even the leaving at the end, but felt kinda okay with this one. I wonder what is going on Detritus.. There being a new uniform, Jorgen being in charge.. I can assume it has something to do with Alank and her people but I don't know. Spensa's development into a cytonic+delver is ...something unexpected, and I honestly have no idea how I feel about it. I guess it gives us something that'll happen in the next book. (hide spoiler)]

Oh my gosh, you actually finished!! I was slowly thinking that I was being too bold in saying I would finish but I think I can do it. Excited to know how it ends and my expectations are not too high.

😂 yeah, I did. I was just thinking.. damn, if I don't finish it now I'll have to make myself pick it up tomorrow.. and I was really not feeling this book so I'm glad it's over. Things got interesting in chapter 39, so after that it picked up a bit.

Chapter 39, well, I certainly didn't see that one coming even though it seems so obvious now.

I tried but I couldn't keep my eyes open. Will finish later today.

Done. Totally agree with your spoiler on the ending.

(view spoiler)[ He leaves it at a bit of another cliffhanger with everything so different at Detritus. I'm intrigued.

I knew going in that Chet would have to self-sacrifice himself but did not anticipate the Spensa/ Chet in one body thing. I really don't know how that will play out at all and isn't great for the potential romance with Jorgen. I'm going to be really sad if she doesn't find M-Bot immediately in the next book. I have a feeling that Shiver's friends history will come out in the next one too? Who knows? It would be nice to revisit the original gang as well. (hide spoiler)]

Yeah, the original gang was so much more fun.. in the novellas we had some of them, and it was really nice.

Not gonna lie.. was already feeling a little burnt out on the sci-fi thing and seeing ya'lls comments/ratings here.. I may delay jumping into this one until later

Finally started.. about 8 chapters in. Chet makes me nervous for some reason..... hoping I'm wrong. I am curious as to if he is actually M-Bot's originally pilot.

I love the way M-Bot is changing and becoming more "human". And that as a drone he gets to be more involved in the story now!

And AWWWW! She just talked to Jorgen <3