I honestly hate to give a less-than-shining review of a TJ Klune book after absolutely loving The House In the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door and anxiously awaiting this new one. The two aforementioned novels are among my favorites and I love the queer and magical worlds you get to dive into with Klune. However, this one just fell short for me. It took me a while to get into it and I feel like it could have been a lot shorter. I am glad I requested both the audio and digital ARC of this one because I really needed the audio to push through the beginning. Retellings are fun and I did enjoy the story, but this one felt more YA (and I do love a lot of YA, but sometimes the YA is a little too YA when you are approaching 30, if that makes sense) than the other books I have read by Klune and I was not expecting that. While I do not regret reading this one, I will definitely be recommending other works by this author over this one in the future. Thank you to NetGalley for the audio and digital ARCs!

I had previously enjoyed Klune’s other adult novels, The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. Both are beautiful, gentle, fantasy reads. I was hoping for and found more of the same from Klune’s latest work In the Lives of Puppets, but what I love about Klune’s work is that despite some similarities with his other works, such as a strong found family and embracing individuality and diversity in a world that often makes those who do not conform feel like outsiders, there is also a great deal of originality and creativity in the characters and stories that he shares.

In the Lives of Puppets takes inspiration from the classic story of Pinocchio and then weaves a very modern story about a group of robots and one young man, Victor, living a sweet fairytale existence in their treehouse compound in the woods, until one day the father figure is snatched away by a whale like air ship and Victor and his friends including the newly restored and refurbished HAP set out to rescue him. The story looks at what it means to be human in a world filled with AI and if it is possible to overcome one’s past programming to become a new and better person. There is humor from Rambo, a neurotic rumba desperate for approval, and a nurse robot who is both equal parts motherly and sadistic. If like me, you loved Guillermo del Toro’s recent film retelling of the classic story, this one is also definitely worth checking out. I received an advance copy of In the Lives of Puppets from Netgalley and the publisher in order to provide an honest review. The book will be available April 25.

I have read and unconditionally loved UTWD as well as HITCS and this book was the toughest for me to get into. HITCS might be my most favorite book ever and I don't understand why I struggled with In the Lives of Puppets because the writing was as amazing as ever and the characters were pretty great. I would say it took me to almost 50% of the book to actually get invested and willingly keep going. I love TJ Klune and his books, but this one was hard for me.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: Previous to reading this book I had read Klune's "The House in the Cerulean Sea" (loved it), "Under the Whispering Door" (loved it), and "Tales from Verania" (liked it). I ended up liking this story a lot but not loving it as much as I loved Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door.

This book is set in the future where a robot, Gio, has raised a young human boy, now older, named Victor. Victor finds another decommissioned robot in the scrapyard named HAP. This find triggers a series of events that reveals secrets that Gio has kept from Victor and Victor ends up on an unlikely adventure to the City of Electric Dreams.

Compared to Klune's normally flawless writing style, this book felt a bit off to me. It starts slow and a lot of the sex robot jokes and the heavy theme of sexuality throughout the book seemed a bit jarring when taken with the other themes of family and love. This was almost like a blend of the prevalent sex jokes of the "Tales of Verania" and the themes of love and family of "Cerulean Sea" and "Whispering Door".

Additionally, although I grew to love the quirky characters here, at points they felt over-characterized. Rambo was just sooo ignorant and naive, and Nurse Ratchet was sooo serial killer crazy...etc. It just took me awhile to fall in love with them and really engage with them. This is another thing I haven't had an issue with in Klune's previous books.

I did enjoy the adventure Vic and crew had on their way to the City of Electric Dreams; this is where things really started to pick up for me (I think that was about halfway through the book). The overall world-building and plot seemed a bit tired. The whole "humanity is taken over by the AI they created" theme has been done sooo many times before. There were some small twists to the theme and story that helped this book not to feel completely stagnant.

The book was easy enough to read and there is a lot of goofy humor in here that had me chuckling. The story leaves you feeling happy and hopeful. I enjoyed the book but just didn't fall into it and love it as much as other recent Klune novels.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't as amazingly awesome as Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door were. It took me a bit to get into the story and engage with the characters. I also felt like the world-building was a bit lacking. It's a fun read though and if you enjoy the whole "what it means to be human" in a world of robots, you'll probably enjoy this. I did love the humor and the crazy characters. I am eager to see what Klune writes next.

3,5⭐️
A dystopian sci-fi retelling of The Adventures of Pinocchio with reversed situation. Instead of a puppet boy living in human world, it’s a human boy living in the world ruled by machines.

There’s a band of misfits living in the forest: A creator android as the father figure, a boy, a nurse machine, a vacuum robot, and the last addition of the member: a mysterious android called Hysterically Angry Puppet.

There’s some trace of the original plot but it’s adapted and given new flavors. Overall its so heartwarming and fun, but something about the writing was off for me and idk why the jokes should be sensual sometimes. The ending made me weep so that’s that

This is my second TJ Klune book, and what we have learned here is that he can write amazing characters like no other. While I wasn't as enthralled by the story as I was Under the Whispering Door , I still fell completely in love with the characters. They are just... delightful. There is really no other way to put it. Even the more villainous characters are splendid. Genuinely, loved them all.

The story itself moved a little slowly, but I loved that it was centered on human Vic trying to locate his father, Gio. He has help from his robot friends: a vacuum named Rambo who is anxious and innocent and loyal and wonderful, a nursebot named Nurse Ratched who is delightfully sarcastic and a self-described potential sociopath, and Hap, who the group rescued from near-death. I mean, you want to read about them, right? You do, I promise, you really do.

As they go on their adventure, I did wish I knew a little bit more about the world and what was happening around them. The basic gist is certainly made clear, but I am a sucker for knowing all the things, so. Regardless, I would follow this band of misfits literally anywhere, so I was happy to make the journey with them. They encounter some... less desirable folks along the way, but they still have their own special wit and charm, even if you want to dismember them.

The story is very focused on finding oneself, determining what you want to do with the chances you have. I always like that! I probably would have liked a bit more action, but I certainly enjoyed following these amazing characters on their messed up way! It has a perfect blend of heartwarming and humorous bits, which I also loved.

Bottom Line: It's an extremely character-driven novel, which is totally fine because the characters are the actual best.

TJ Klune has done it again. He’s created another beautiful story filled with magic, love, found family and his trademark humour.

In The Lives of Puppets takes place in a future world where there are seemingly no humans. I like to think of it as Pinocchio meets Wall-E meets Terminator. It centres around Victor, and his family of (hilarious) robots. There’s Rambo, a vacuum with major anxiety; Nurse Ratched, a slightly sociopathic robot whose purpose is to care, heal and…drill; and Gio, a creator whom Victor calls Dad.

One day, while Vic, Rambo and Nurse Ratched go to the scrapyard for materials, they discover a decommissioned male-presenting (and slightly swoon worthy) robot. Vic decides to bring the robot home and try to revive it, despite not knowing what its purpose is. The robot is successfully revived, and the trio name him Hap - for Hysterically Angry Puppet. I’ll let you read the book to see exactly why.

Unfortunately, the process of reviving Hap set off a chain of events that lead to disaster - and the loss of Gio. Vic and his merry band of robots set off on an epic adventure to rescue Gio, their patriarch.

In The Lives of Puppets made me laugh, cry, reflect, and warmed my heart. It reflects the state of our society in the most novel of ways, while making us think and laugh. It questions what love, humanity and free will truly are, making you understand that your will - your choices - are really up to you. And that any consequences are yours, as is the choice to be brave.

I highly, highly recommend In the Lives of Puppets. In my opinion, it’s one of TJ Klune’s best, and will leave you with a smile on your face, and in your heart.

Thank you Tor Books and NetGalley for the ARC e-book and audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

TJ Klune has a brilliant mind. There is no denying that he possesses one of the most amazing imaginations of writers in our time. He can take a seemingly mundane concept and turn it on it's head, bringing to life a story that no one would see coming. In the Lives of Puppets is a perfect example of Klune's imagination running wild, taking a simple idea and turning it on it's head.

Victor is being raised by Gio, a robot. He lives in a tree house in the middle of the woods with his other robot friends Rambo (a vacuum) and Nurse Ratched (a medical robot). They spend their days building and creating. One day, a machine comes and takes Gio, Victor's father, away, so the cast of characters go on a dangerous quest to find him and bring him back.

While the world, the story, and the cast of characters were very interesting and unique, I found it really difficult to connect to beginning of the story. Nurse Ratched and Rambo really are the saving grace of this story, because their one liners and sense of humor was easy to hear in my head. Victor, however, was flat and cold. I think, if I hadn't been a fan of TJ Klune from previous novels, I might have stopped reading. I found myself not caring how the story ended, but because I have loved other books by this author I pushed myself to continue. I will still want to read his future books as well. I hope other readers enjoy Puppets, it just wasn't for me.

In the Lives of Puppets is such a unique sci-fi story. Set in a dystopian time where A.I. has taken over the world, it contains elements of found family (my favorite!) and cozy romance.

As always, Klune delivers an emotional and heartwarming story with wonderful characters. From the slightly sociopathic Nurse Ratched to the anxious vaccuum bot, Rambo, the characters are what make this story. Nurse Ratched was a particular favorite of mine, making me laugh out loud on several occasions. The humor was honestly the best part of the book!

While I enjoyed the story, I personally had trouble connecting with the main character, Vic. I also found it difficult to buy into a human-robot romance. While I found the ending to be a bit sad, some might find it to be full of hope and potential.

Overall, I found the premise of this book to be an interesting one. Once again, T.J. Klune delivers a quirky story of love and acceptance.

I didn't love it. It took me absolute ages to finish and I had to sit myself down and force myself towards the end. I have enjoyed Klune's other books so far, but this one just didn't do it for me. I was bored through quite a bit of it. The characters were amusing but I didn't feel a connection with any of them. The story was unique, but somehow it didn't pull me in. I suspect lots of people will like it fine, but just not for me.

I had no idea what to expect but had my fingers crossed the story would be as compelling as my imagination made it seem. I love TJ Klune's writing, I think he's a phenomenal storyteller, but sometimes his stories just aren't for me. And that's okay! It is because I know he's such a great author that I keep trying his books-- I WANT to enjoy them! I'm thrilled that this one was a total winner.

I liked everything about this story - the characters, the themes of loneliness and making connections (as well as some others I won't spoil), the journey, and the humor. It's sometimes dark which is probably my favorite type. The found family vibe was lovely and the metaphors had me nodding my head in agreement. I'm always impressed with this author's ability to write an engaging story that focuses on deeper issues while using so much humor and lighthearted fun.

I pre-ordered the audiobook and I'm hoping the performance will kick my experience up a notch. Huge thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC (and yes these opinions are my own).

TJ Klune is always an imaginative author with great writing. He brings these characters to life. You will laugh, cry, and connect with each of them. I did not enjoy this one as much as House in the Cerulean Sea, but would still recommend it to those who enjoyed that one. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy.

This was my first time reading anything by TJ Klune and the universe building, the incredibly unique and loveable characters in this dystopian robots living world simply blew me away. I will 100% be picking up more books by this author and heavily recommend this title!

A sci-fi dystopian retelling of Pinocchio that somehow perfectly captures the magic of the original story without being so similar it was boring. The retelling elements honestly feel more like little Easter eggs scattered throughout this original and wholly unique story.
Victor is different from the rest of his family - the only human in a found family of machines kind of different. In the Lives of Puppets introduces us to Rambo, the delightfully neurotic robotic vacuum; Nurse Ratched, the nurse bot who is only slightly sociopathic; and Gio, the creator, Victor's father who has raised him his entire life.
Victor loves going on adventures with his friends, especially in search of any parts they may find useful. But one day, Victor locates a machine whose very existence will risk undoing everything he knows about his family and humanity as a whole.

Run if you have to. No dallying. No drilling (unless it is deemed necessary). And above all else, be brave.

"In the Lives of Puppets" by TJ Klune is hands-down one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. Not since "The House in the Cerulean Sea" have I fallen so in love with a book's characters. Part "Pinocchio" and part "The Wizard of Oz," this book is so good that you forget where you are while reading it. The real world ceases to exist. I was no longer sitting in my living room, but was transported to the forest, to the scrapyard, to a City of Electric Dreams unlike any city I've ever imagined before. The characters are so enchanting that you can't help but laugh and cry and love right along with them. This is a book that will stay with me for quite some time and that I will return to over and over whenever I need to be reminded that hope and love really do exist.

I love Klune's writing style and the way he shows me what is happening instead of just telling me. His writing is rich and descriptive, creating vivid characters that come completely to life. This book was so much fun to read and its moments of tenderness touched my soul. Klune has an amazing gift and his books are a gift to us all.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It is absolute perfection. All the stars.

Anyone who is a fan of Klune’s particular brand of saccharine found-family storytelling will absolutely find a literary home in this new addition. A retelling of the classic tale ‘Pinocchio’, this story is heartwarming with just enough heart-wrenching thrown in to make the resolution feel worth it.

If you've ever thought "There's no way that I would be interested in reading a book about a world in the future where robots are the norm and humans are almost extinct", you would be wrong. "In The Lives Of Puppets" defied every expectation I had and those that I didn't even know that I had.

Victor Lawson is aware of the fact that his family is unconventional. His dad is a robot, he's a human, and his best friends are a robot vacuum and an obsolete robot nurse. Hidden deep in the forest, Victor is mostly content, although at the edges of his mind he feels that there is more out there in the world for him. When he finds a robot called HAP in a junk pile it quickly becomes evident that his life is about to change, and when the robot authorities are inadvertently alerted to the fact that a human lives amongst them, Victor's unusual journey to the City of Electric Dreams begins.

Filled with heart, wisdom, and humour, "In the Lives of Puppets" proves that there is no family as important as our "chosen family". This book had me laughing out loud, sighing wistfully, and already anticipating whatever Klune comes up with next.

Victor lives with his father, Gio, in a series of tree houses in a forest adjacent to a scrap yard. He enjoys seeing what the scrap yard has to offer, but it is dangerous. Several machines guard it from outside interference. He already found a vaccum which he repaired and named "Rambo" and a robot nurse called Nurse Ratched (Ratched is actually the initials for Registered Automaton to Care, Heal, Educate, and Drill). One day while in the scrap yard, Victor finds an android that seems to still be alive. Unfortunately, by the time he removes everything on top of it, it is no longer functioning, but he takes it home to his lab to tinker with it. Eventually, he is able to repair everything but the battery that makes it work. He takes a heart he made in case his father needs it (Gio is an android, too) and puts a few drops of blood in and the android comes to life. The android doesn't know who he is or what his purpose is, but he has some initials on his body HAP, so that is what Victor, Rambo, and Nurse Ratched call him. Nurse Ratched also calls him Hysterically Angry Puppet since he is very grumpy. When Gio sees what Victor has done, he is upset since Gio built HAP originally as a human destroyer (HARP stands for Human Annihilation Response Protocol) and Victor is a human. Some government androids realize that HAP is alive and that there may be a human around, so Gio makes everyone go into a safe room. The government androids take Gio back to the City of Electric Dreams and destroy his heart. When Victor and his friends emerge from the safe room Gio is gone and the tree houses have been destroyed. They they go on a quest to rescue Gio.

This is not my usual type of story (not big into Sci Fi), but I had read another T. J. Klune book and wanted to read this. The robot friends are very funny (shades of MST3K). Many reviews say this is a modern day Pinocchio. I can see this as Gio creates Victor (he is already a "real" boy) and there is a workshop/lab for tinkering. I really enjoyed it.

I was so excited when I saw this on NetGalley because TJ Klune is one of my favorite authors. He writes with such emotion and humor, you often find yourself laughing while dabbing your eyes. While In the Lives of Puppets had similar qualities it didn’t move me in quite the same way.
Deep in the forest sometime in the future, when humans are extinct, lives a family of robots. Gio, an inventor; Nurse Ratched, a nurse; and Rambo, a little vacuum. Living with these robots is Vic, Gio’s greatest invention to date- a human. While exploring one day, Vic finds a broken robot and brings it home to fix up, unaware that this robot’s purpose was to annihilate humans. Vic knows he can get Hap to see he has a choice about who he is.
I found the theme of this to be very deep. It’s a great look at humanity; does anyone really have a choice to be different than what we have been told we are?
I was actually wary to read this, as much as I love TJ Klune, because I hate puppets. I was thrilled to realize the word puppets is solely used as a metaphor.
This didn’t move me quite as much as The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. While I found the theme to be deep and thought provoking, I didn’t feel as deep a connection to the characters as I have with the other books. That being said, it is written just as beautifully as the others and the majority of the characters are just as deep. I think any fan of TJ Klune will enjoy this, but if you’ve never read his books before don’t start with this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the advanced copy. This hits shelves on April 25th.

This was a lovely reimagining of Pinocchio. Set in the not too distant dystopian future, robots have taken over the entire world, with the exception of one young man - Victor. The story was so beautifully written and touchingly tied together with themes that are pertinent today. I loved the way that the author was able to bring in many different ideas and concepts that one would not have expected from Pinocchio. The character development of what were essentially robots was wonderful, and the characters really came to life. The fact that a robot named Rambo existed was hilarious and also a wonderful play on words with Roomba, etc. I would recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed writings from this author before, although it seems to be a big departure from the type of writings they have offered before. Highly recommend!

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.