why did nobody tell me how good this book was?

when I finished the first MurderBot, All Systems Red, it was a perfectly fine sci-fi novel, but it wasn't anything special. it felt a little unfinished, I didn't connect to MurderBot, I was worried that each story was going to be an unfulfilling standalone, and I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to commit to finishing the rest of the series. but I am so glad that I picked this one up.

not only did we get to meet ART (my favourite character ever), but we got to explore so much more of MurderBot's character and budding humanity. they had genuine motivations, and wants, and we went from a kind of boring, detached MC to a morally grey MC who's finding themselves in a world that they're both scared of and forced to integrate into. exploring their humanity was the most rewarding part of this.
I loved seeing the story from their POV and seeing all the quirks that made them them. how they watch their conversations from the security cameras to avoid eye contact, how they force shutdown to avoid awkward conversations, and how they awkwardly attempt to copy human mannerisms in an attempt to blend in. they're not trying to be a human, but they're not trying to be a SecUnit anymore. they're just... them. MurderBot, Eden, whatever you want to call them, they're their own thing. trying to survive, they're not quite a person, but just as full of life and depth.

definitely continuing the rest of the series from here, and seriously debating going back to re-read All Systems Red, just to see if I like it a little more knowing what I know now about the rest of the series and the character.