I never knew that I needed a Pinocchio vibed book in my life. I've struggled with getting into Klunes books in the past but this one might be the one that helps get me back into it.

What can I say about TJ Klune that hasn't been said before? The man is a GENIUS!! I love everything about his writing, his tone, and the life he gives to his characters. This book is no exception.

This is a MUST read!

Huh, so "Cozy Dystopian" is apparently a genre. Well, I'm here for it.

In the Lives of Puppets is a creative sci-fi/fantasy tale inspired by Pinocchio. Our main character is Victor Lawson, a boy growing up in a remote woodland home high up in the trees under the care and tutelage of his father Giovanni, a sophisticated cyborg who has raised him since infancy. Vic's sole companions are Nurse Ratched, an out-dated robotic nurse who is a bit raunchy and sadistic but also hilarious and loyal, and Rambo, a joyful and naive vacuum robot with a tender disposition. Giovanni and Victor constructed and repaired them from castaway parts salvaged from a large waste dump of old and decommissioned machines and electronics.

Lovely, but really this is no idyllic utopia. Large, ominous flying vehicles patrol the skies above the dump and threaten to annihilate anything in their path. As it turns out, the rest of the world is run entirely by machines who have eliminated all human life forms... except Victor. He's the last living human on Earth.

Vic's little family does everything to ensure he thrives. One day, however, their peaceful oasis is disrupted when Vic finds a human-like cyborg buried in the dump, a dangerous discovery that propels Vic and his family on a treacherous journey into the dystopian society of powerful AI. And causes Vic to grapple with new feelings and navigate the ways of the heart.

I loved the supporting characters. They bring levity and delight to a tale that takes a bit of a dark turn. I liked exploring the consciousness of AI and contemplating what is considered alive and valued. Self-determination, love, and kinship are at the core of this tale.

I must admit this book took me awhile to get through. I can't really pinpoint an exact reason, but even though I enjoyed it, it didn't hold me rapt like Cerulean Sea. Vic's personality is a bit irritating and whiny, but the other characters make up for his flaws. Overall, I recommend this unique adventure, especially if you are in the mood for something cozy but also with a little edge.

Thank you to Tor Books, Tor Publishing Group, and Netgalley for my e-ARC!

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. I found it really difficult to connect to the characters and the pacing was a bit erratic. I felt the symbolism was quite heavy-handed and it distracted from the natural flow of the story. The blending of fantasy and reality was disorienting and I felt it difficult to navigate the shift between the two. I am sure those who enjoy literary fiction with a touch of the fantastical would enjoy the deeper philosophical questions that arise from this book.

I never thought a book could make me fall in love with a bunch of robots… but here we are. We've got Nurse Ratched who's like a Rosie from the Jetsons mixed with Baymax, but with the personality of Ryan Reynolds. Rambo, the anxiety ridden roomba. Giovanni, the OG robot with a heart of gold (aka Victor's dad). Hap, (aka Hysterically Angry Puppet) the newest robot of the bunch, who was originally built to destroy humans. And then we have Victor, the human. And their story is a magnificent one! One that's filled with love and loyalty, found family and remarkable friendships.

REVIEW- IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS by TJ Klune


I am not a fantasy reader… at ALL. But I heard so many great things about TJ Klune that I threw caution to the wind and dove in and I am so glad that I did. This has been one of my favorite books of the year. I had so much fun reading and listening to it and I certainly didn’t have crying over robots on my bingo card this year!


The retelling of Pinocchio was brilliant and I found the echoes of Wizard of Oz to be just lovely. The characters were so thoughtful and funny and tender. Rambo and Nurse Ratchet gave me the giggles. (The audio is a must!) This found family will stay with me a very long time.


5 stars.


Thank you to TJ Klune, Tor Publishing, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the early review copies. These thoughts are my own.

I was nervous when I started this book because, despite it coming highly recommended, I wasn’t getting into it in the first couple chapters, I’m so glad I stuck with it though because this book was beautiful. Victor is a human living amongst a world of robots and machines. His family is comprised of his father, Gio, Nurse Ratched (a healthcare robot) and Rambo (a vacuum) and they spend their days exploring the forest in which they live and creating from the scraps they find. All that changes when Victor finds a decommissioned robot that they name Hap. In the Lives of Puppets is equal parts hilarious (Nurse Ratched is hysterical) and incredibly poignant. While Victor may be the only human in a world of robots, love transcends and so does the desire to protect and care for the ones you love.

Very enjoyable futuristic sci-fi/fantasy book! I really enjoyed it!!! There were some parts that were a little slow that I had to read a few times to know what was actually happening. but I loved the banter and dynamic between Victor, his dad, and and his machines, and it was nice to see the character growth in all the characters but especially Victor! Recommended!

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea so I had high hopes for this one. TJ Klune's writing is a total blast, and this story is no different! The way everything unfolds and how the characters connect with each other is super fascinating and a ton of fun to dive into. I totally adored watching Hap grow as the story rolled on. The mix of social insight and humor was just right, and I couldn't get enough of the character dynamics driving the plot. The snappy dialogues and their protective camaraderie really nailed it.

There are so many sweet moments throughout this book. I adored Victor, Nurse Ratchet, and Rocky. Their dynamic and banter was fantastic. I loved the addition of the Hysterically Angry Puppet. This book is so heavy yet so hopeful. The plot and story line were interesting but it really was the characters for me. TJ Klune does such a good job of writing characters that you continue to think about long after you finish the book.

Klune is unique in how they write about gender and sexuality. However, this one felt forced and wasn’t for me.

Stars: 5 out of 5.

I rarely read fairy tale retellings, because I think that retellings are rather pointless. I'd rather read the original and decide for myself what the morale of the story was, instead of reading about what the reteller thinks the story was about. So I'm really glad that I didn't know that this was a retelling of Pinocchio when I picked up the book, or I would never have given it a try. And I would have lost out on a wonderful story.

And honestly, you don't have to know anything about the original Pinocchio book to enjoy this story. Yes, there are parallels, but In the Life of Puppets stands on its own two feet pretty well and doesn't rely on knowledge of the original.

It's a story of Victor Lawson, the only human in a world of robots. And of his quest to save his father. And him and his friends have some adventures along the way. For a fairy tale this book has surprisingly a lot of heart.

Because the characters, human and robot alike, are fully realized individuals with their own quirks and dreams. And their interactions are hilarious at times, and at times very touching and heartfelt. Nurse Ratched is my favorite character. Yay for sociopathic nurse robots with a heart of gold. 

The world our group of misfits travels through is wonderous and terrible at the same time, like it should be in good fairy tales. And all of the characters grow and progress along the way, especially Victor, who has to come to terms with a lot of hard truths. Like the fact that his father was the engineer of the extinction of his whole race. Or that you can still love someone even if you can't forgive them for what they did, even if you aren't sure you have the right to forgive them.

Or that you can love someone even if they don't remember you from time to time. This last one hit particularly close to home, since I am dealing with a relative slowly loosing his battle with Alzheimer's. That is a truly horrible disease that transforms a loved one into a completely different person. A bit like what happened to Gio once he was taken back into the City of Electric Dreams.

And even though the situations our characters find themselves in are horrible at times, the overall message of this book is one of love and hope, which makes it a very heartwarming story. I would definitely recommend this to adults and young adults alike. It's rare that I read a book in one sitting and come out of it with a content and warm feeling.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting twist on the Pinocchio story. and told with the same level of inclusion that the author's previous works have shown. It seemed just a bit less fully realized as a story, but the characters were engaging.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for my review. This is not my favorite Klune novel. I never really got into the story and struggled throughout. I have enjoyed Klune’s other works and found them fanciful and charming. This one both lagged and lacked for me. I do appreciate the wiring that went into it and will read Klune again in the future.

Enjoyed the prologue but the book itself just didn't have the spark I was expecting from Klune. I can't explain why it wasn't as engaging as previous books, but it wasn't.

3.5/5 stars!

I really enjoy TJ Klunes writing so although I didn’t enjoy this one nearly as much as of their other books, I’m still glad to have made the read! I found the idea of the book super interesting however just couldn’t connect to it fully. The plot didn’t hook me as much as I was expecting and it seemed to drag a tad. There are many great qualities to this book of course and I did found the characters quite enjoyable!! I just couldn’t connect to the story as much, hence the lower rating.

I didn’t love this one as much as The House in the Cerulean Sea. Premise was unique, loved the humor and the characters, but the story was a bit slow. Definitely could have been a bit shorter.

This new TJ Klune was laugh out loud funny, literally. I think it missed the mark for me in terms of plot but I adored these characters. Klune's ability to make you fall in love with a found family is certainly a strength

I ended up listening to the audiobook of this one and OMG I was in love!!!!! Just like with TJ Klune’s previous book, the supporting characters were the absolute best part. They had me wrapped around their little fingers and my heart was absolutely bursting with love for them. I loved the messaging of this story along with the end of days theme playing throughout. The audiobook was absolutely magical to listen to.

In the Lives of Puppets is Klune's third novel in the spotlight. It follows the found family of machines/robots and a human. They live in the forest and enjoy tinkering with parts left over in junk piles. It has a light correlation to the "Pinocchio" fairy tale. However, it is hard to explain much more of the plot without spoiling anything so I will leave it at that.

The main character, Victor, is the adopted son of the main tinkerer, Giovanni. When Victor finds a unique object in the junkyard a series of cascading events follow that upend the peaceful life of creativity that the two have shared.

While I love the ideas that Klune has and the interesting world that he creates, I could not bring myself to care as much about the characters in this story. I didn't connect with them, even though I thought the plot was interesting. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed the writing style of Klune's other two bestsellers but aren't character-driven readers. If you are additionally okay with a slower moving plot, you may enjoy this one.