Moss'd in Space is definitely one of my all-time favourite reads. From start to finish, this book had me grinning and giggling. Torian is such a relatable character, and Moss is just the funniest not AI. Rebecca writes space and the world around in such vivid details that I could imagine myself in the world, and the aliens we encounter are so unique and interesting.
It is a story about sibling love and space exploration. Perfectly cosy, and I can not wait for the next book!
🪴 Sentient plant
🌌 Space travel
🚀 Cosy Sci-fi

4.5 ⭐️s rounded up.
“The best of your kind aren’t defined by a birthplace or exam score. They’re individuals. People who make selfless choices, even if they’re hard, to better the lives of others.”

This book is a very strong start to the series!
The characters were amazing (yes, this includes the sentient moss!), the world building wasn’t overly extensive but it felt like far more than enough to immerse me, and I also adored the portrayal of both the positive and negative aspects of the relationships between characters.

The Tomes & Tea series was a great read for me and this first book is setting this up to be a similarly great series. It’s cosy sci-fi that still has enough stakes to keep you invested! Would highly recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan / Tor for providing me with an ARC!

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me an ARC.

Although I wasn't sure about this book in the first few chapters, it absolutely won its way into being a 5 star book for me by the end. I absolutely loved all of the characters, especially Torian and Moss. The dynamics between all of the characters were so well done and I found myself having so much fun reading this. The dialogue his hilarious at times and heart-wrenching at others and I loved all of it.

Torian and Amelia had a complicated relationship; they clearly love each other but Amelia has a lot of past trauma to work through, and Torian recognises that she hardly knows Amelia as a person at all. I really liked that once they met up again they didn't immediately get back together. Both of their characters need time to work through their own stuff and to get to know each other as friends first. Dutch and Zen's relationship was such a delight. I'm a sucker for an interspecies relationship and they were so fun together. I really liked how they worked together and saw each other as equals despite coming from vastly different cultures. Their dynamic was so sweet and silly at times and I loved them.

Torian is an instantly likeable character. She is stubborn and dedicated and will look out for her friends at the cost of her own self-preservation. Her optimism and steadfastness about finding better living conditions for her sister was so admirable, and I love that she never gave up despite facing set-backs. Dutch was a really interesting character. At first, I disliked him because he left Moss behind and Moss was undersatandably deeply angry and hurt about it. But Dutch was truly remorseful about leaving Moss behind and an incredibly complex character. And finding out that he also knows what it feels like to be left behind demonstrates that he wasn't being malicious. Nastra was great, I loved the detail of her always being in a hive mind with others of her species, and the sheer curiousity and love for learning that she has.

I didn't realise that this was the first book of a series when I applied for an ARC but I'm so grateful that it is! I felt there were a few questions left unanswered, especially around Dutch and where his people went, and I also just love the characters and I'm incredibly excited for them to return in the next book.

This is definitely one of Rebecca Thorne's strongest books.

The queernormative world and diversity was so lovely to read. It felt so effortless and was seemlessly woven into the narrative, but it meant a lot.

I had such high hopes for this after the tomes & tea series and let me tell you, it DID NOT DISAPPOINT 🙌🏼

I loved the whole cast of characters in this, but we follow our main characters, Torian (hard working and brave but with total imposter syndrome and a sister with a life threatening illness that she is determined to fix) and Moss (a sassy, sentient organic computer system that lives within Torian’s newly purchased spaceship and has serious abandonment issues) as they head out on an adventure that takes them across the solar system. Along the way, they help each other to tackle various challenges and develop an absolutely delightful friendship.

This had all the cosy sci-fi feels but with enough stakes and purpose to the story that it kept the plot moving. I think this is my perfect book right now. ***sighs in contentment***

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was the perfect read for me!

In this story we follow Tori as she buys herself a spaceship to try and find a cure for her sister. However her ship is full of moss, sentient one at that. Will Tori and Moss find a way to be around each other? And will Tori find a solution for her sister?

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year because I previously loved other books by this author and the premise sounded up my alley. I’m so glad to have gotten this arc, because I had been a bit slumpy lately and this was perfect! I really enjoyed Tori as an Mc and I thought we were going to have more romance, however I think this book was perfect as it was. Moss was an absolute legend in this, I always looked forward to her povs. I also really enjoyed how space was described here. That ending was unexpected and I cannot wait for the sequel next year.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was delightful but also a lot more emotional than I had expected. The characters were great and their dynamics were incredible. It was a lot of fun to accompany Torian and Moss on their travels but also I bawled my eyes out at one point. Also love me some disaster lesbians in space. Definitely my favourite Rebecca Thorne book so far!

“I have heard good things about ‘dreams’, although it is strange you hallucinate vividly each night and claim it is healthy.”

Moss’d in Space is a wonderful cozy SciFi story that includes some of my favorite things: space travel, great humour and - best of all - a lovable, snarky and hilarious sentient plant named Moss (and a FMC that is equally quick-witted!).

The author stated that she was inspired by Murderbot, which I can totally see but I love the direction she took Moss from there! I do see some of Murderbot’s characteristics in Moss but also, it feels a bit like a mix of a golden retriever and a cat - it is ready and waiting for praise, loves you, but judges you nonetheless. :D

The book focuses on Torian Razner, our FMC, who has just bought her very first starship. What she didn’t expect when buying said starship in order to leave the space station was acquiring a sentient life support system that has abandonment issues along with it. Now she’s traveling through space with a new buddy and even though all’s not well, at least she’s not alone in her quest.

Overall I found all of the characters to be very likeable, the story had a very nice flow and I nearly read it in one sitting because I didn’t want to put it down. The humour was very well done, the story cozy but included several emotional or tense sections as well. I already can’t wait to reunite with these characters in the sequel and I’m so happy that R. Thorne decided to write a cozy story in space!

Thank you Netgalley and Pan MacMillan/TOR for providing me with this advanced readers copy!

As someone who absolutely ADORES a cosy read, particularly sci-fi, this was basically catnip for me. The comparisons to Becky Chambers are absolutely understandable here, the same warmth, heart, and emphasis on relationships are present, but Rebecca Thorne still makes the genre feel entirely her own. It has that wonderful balance of hopefulness and adventure that leaves you smiling while also becoming deeply attached to everyone on board.

And when I say attached, I mean ATTACHED. Moss completely stole my heart from page one. There’s something so wonderfully genuine about their voice and the way they approach the world. The genuine hurt that Moss felt was so palpable from the very beginning but I loved loved loved seeing the character growth!!!!

But as much as I enjoyed the individual characters, the FOUND FAMILY absolutely stole the show. That’s the magic of this book. The cast doesn’t feel like a collection of quirky archetypes thrown together for plot convenience. They genuinely feel like people who slowly become important to one another. Every relationship and every moment of support and understanding made me fall a little more in love with this story. By the end I felt like I’d been adopted into the crew myself.

I also loved how the book manages to feel cosy without feeling completely low stakes. There’s still mystery, discovery, and genuine momentum pushing the story forward, but the emotional core always remains the characters and their relationships. That’s exactly what I want from cosy science fiction.

The worldbuilding was another highlight. The setting feels expansive enough to spark your imagination while never overwhelming the story. Instead of drowning the reader in technical details, Rebecca Thorne focuses on creating a universe that feels lived in and full of possibility.

And can we talk about how comforting this book feels? In a genre that often leans heavily into dystopia and disaster, there’s something so refreshing about a story that chooses kindness, connection, and hope without becoming simplistic.

This was my first Rebecca Thorne book, but it absolutely won’t be my last. I can already tell I’m going to be picking up more of her backlist because if her other books have even half the charm and heart of this one, I’m sold.

Most importantly though: I NEED THE NEXT BOOK. Immediately. I am so incredibly excited to see where Moss, Torian, and the rest of this wonderful crew go next because I am nowhere near ready to say goodbye to them.

If you love cosy sci-fi, found family, lovable characters, hopeful adventures, and books that leave you feeling a little happier than when you started them, please do yourself a favour and pick this one up.

Mossed in Space is everything I want from a cosy sci-fi novel and more. Funny, heartfelt, wonderfully imaginative, and packed with unforgettable characters, I loved absolutely everything about this story.

Torian has spent years working on smuggler ships, saving every credit she can in the hope of buying a ship of her own. Her dream isn’t wealth or adventure—it’s finding a place where her sister Celise can breathe cleaner air and have a chance at a longer, healthier life. Unfortunately, Torian’s hard-earned savings don’t stretch very far, and the only ship she can afford is a tiny, moss-covered wreck that has been abandoned for centuries.

What she doesn’t realise is that the moss is sentient.

The friendship that develops between Torian and Moss—the ship’s life support system—is the absolute heart of the story. Moss is hilarious, stubborn, lonely, and endlessly entertaining. The conversations between Moss, the engine, and the auto-navigation system had me laughing out loud, especially whenever Moss referred to the ship’s previous owner, Dutch, as a “dog-turd fungus” or an “inconsiderate asshole.” Moss has easily become one of my favourite characters in any book.

Beyond the humour, the story has so much heart. Torian’s complicated relationship with her sister, her determination to save her, and her equally complicated connection with her former boss and “not-romantic partner” Amelia add real emotional depth. Amelia’s habit of occasionally swooping in to rescue Torian only makes their dynamic more entertaining and endearing.

The supporting cast is equally fantastic, with a wide variety of alien species that make the galaxy feel vibrant and alive. Every character brings something unique to the story, and the world feels full of personality at every turn.

There’s romance, friendship, found family, plenty of LGBTQIA+ representation, and even an adorable miniature robot fox version of Moss. Rebecca Thorne balances humour and emotion beautifully, creating a story that is both comforting and exciting. Her writing is warm, clever, and full of charm.

This was an absolute joy from beginning to end, and I already can’t wait to read more from this universe.

Rebecca Thorne does it again. The Queen of cosy fantasy is back with this fantastic story that will fill your heart and soul with so much joy. I mean who doesn't love a sentient pile of moss?

This was absolutely exquisite. So delightfully cosy, funny, a little emotional and reflective too.

Ultimately, it made me incredibly happy. I loved every single minute I spent reading about witty sentient moss and an adorable space pilot. This also included the most excellent portrayal of the found family trope, which is one of my favourites.

I did not realise this was the first book in a series, but I am so glad there will be more. I truly cannot wait to see how this continues.

It's safe to say that many of us love the cozy fantasy genre, but what about cozy sci-fi? Well, if it wasn't a thing before, it is safe to say that Rebecca Thorne has created it!

Moss'd In Space is a story of hope, friendship, found-family and adventure and knowing that no matter how big the universe is, you will never be alone. Torian is in search of a ship with the hopes of leaving the Colony space station that she has grown up from in hopes to travel to the only terraformed planet, seek admission and save her sister's life as the recycled air on the space station is slowly killing her.

One thing Torian didn't count on was Moss, the organic intelligence on their newly purchased ship who is snarky, sassy and has some attachment issues - which you know is understandable after 130+ since they were abandoned by their previous pilot.

Although Torian and Moss start out as a pair, on their adventure their crew begins to grow with hope, healing and potential romance with a private captain, Moss'd in Space is an unforgettable and heart-warming read. I can't wait to continue reading Moss and their crews adventure in the next book!

This quickly became one of my favourite reads of the year which isn’t surprising for a Rebecca Thorne book.
This was cozy sci fi at its absolute best. The stakes were high enough to keep me intrigued but not so high I wouldn’t consider it cozy.
The characters were lovable and flawed. While Torian wasn’t my favourite main character and I didn’t care too much about the romance I was still rooting for them. We always need more sapphic representation especially in sci fi.
The best part of this book was of course MOSS. Sentient being that shouldn’t technically be sentient is one of my favourite tropes in books and this was superbly done. Moss provided a lot of the comic relief in this story and I loved the exploration of what it means to be sentient.
I also loved a lot of the side characters and how the other alien races were portrayed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I've loved Rebecca Thorne since I first read Can't Spell Treason Without Tea, her characters are fantastic. So when I found out she was writing a Sci-fi that involved a sentient plant I was so on board! I love Moss!

Moss'd in Space was a cosy, heart-warming, sass-filled ride, with a heavy emphasis on the family we choose. Found family is my jam! I always find Rebecca's writing to be an easy read, everything just flows and you're never left wondering what on earth is happening. I am definitely on a sci-fi journey right now and the book gave me new solar systems to dream about.

The characters are well fleshed out and nuanced and I am deeply looking forward to carrying on this series and learning more about each character. Torian is endearing and loyal and seems to wear her heart on her sleeve a little, putting so much thought in to the care of others, the speed at which she became attached to Moss was nothing short of adorable.

I'm really hoping this is going to become another 4 part series because I really feel like there is so much that could come from this world and I will be there every step of the way!

This book felt like Project Hail Mary meets A psalm for the wild built and I loved it!!

This was cozy sci-fi with found family, a sapphic subplot romance, a few sentient space entities and a really wholesome plot! And I loved every second of it!

I loved the tomes & tea series from this author (and all of her dubious and hilarious dad jokes) and I was glad to find that her craft only got better with this story. As someone who feels anxious around space, this book only gave me wholesome and warm vibes! Heck, it even made me want to discover space alongside Moss and Torian!

Honestly, this book is worth reading simply for Moss, our sentient ship, and her dialogues with the other characters! There were many laugh out loud moments! I am so excited to keep on following the adventure of this crew in the next instalment!

I adored this cosy sci-fi adventure. Torian has spent her life on a space colony watching her sister become increasingly unwell. Cleaner air would help her and Torian is willing to do whatever she can to save her.

The concept of Moss as tech and sentient spaceship was absolutely brilliant - it made sense as an alien technology and offered a cure to Celise's condition. Torian was a convincing main character. I liked her go-for-it attitude and determination in the face of difficulties. Her relationship with Amelia felt realistic. The aliens were all wonderful. I loved the way they were described, each with important attributes. Humans seemed to be behind in terms of tech and socialisation in galactic contexts and that felt about right!

Moss'd in Space (the title is presumably a parody of Lost in Space) combines the sarcastic robot vibes of Murderbot with the cosiness and botanical focus of Becky Chambers' works. It's perfect for fans of either of these authors and I can't wait for the sequel

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book

Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC!

Torian Razner finally has their own starship. It might be alien and covered in moss but it's a ticket for Torian and her sister to leave their colony for a better life. Until Torian realises the moss is actually sentient...

This was such a cosy sci-fi adventure. While the story was quite slow paced overall, the characters and slice of life scenes kept me so intrigued, I couldn't put the book down! Moss completely stole this story for me, their character provided everything from comic relief to genuine tears (first time I've ever cried over moss at 12am) and I adored their relationship with Torian. Their banter and genuine friendship was the heart of this story for me.

"I would endear myself to Torian Razner, the solar-engineer security maybe-pilot human. And once she viewed me as an essential system in her life, I would never be alone again."

Torian is such an endearing protagonist, I'm a sucker for someone who is selfless and just wants to help. Their relationship with their sister was so sweet, and I really felt for them at times. The romance with Amelia was also very sweet and subtle and I really liked the second chance vibes.

"Leaving this place, Colony 13, was bittersweet—but walls and floors didn't make a home.
Family did."

Moss'd in Space is perfect for those that love cosy stories with some stakes, snarky companions and found family dynamics.