Another cute read from one of my favorite authors; TJ Klune. This is a queer, sci-fi retelling of Pinocchio. It has the same quirky characters you can’t help but love, the brilliant humor that makes you cackle like a fool, and uplifting vibes that make you feel like you’re embraced in a warm hug that we’ve come to enjoy from TJ.

Victor lives in the coolest treehouse ever with his loving robot dad, Gio, hyper as hell vacuum robot, Rambo, and hilariously murderous (she’s mostly kidding) robot nurse, Nurse Ratched. When they go to the scrapyards and find a new robot to repair, Hap, life changes for the family, and they must go to the City of Electric Dreams to save one of them.

This is a fantastical sci fi retelling of Pinocchio: that's about as much as I knew going into it (other than being familiar with the author), and I'm actually glad I went in with such little knowledge. I enjoyed the feeling of 'discovering' the plot and the world as I went, and I suspect others will too.

TJ Klune is wonderful with creating loveable characters, although I'll admit they thread the line between 'quirky' and 'caricature' at times. Even still, the book made me laugh out loud several times, and that's always a plus! The author also excels at developing loveable relationships and found families. While I haven't checked out Klune's backlist (like many, I've read the big ones with House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door), I've read enough to wager that those elements will be familiar to other Klune fans. Similarly, this novel takes on darker themes, even if it looks at them through a hopeful lens - that, too, feels very akin to other novels I've read by this author, and it's an element I love. I can count on Klune for an emotional wringer.

Unfortunately, the weaknesses I've noticed in Klune's other works are present here too. Namely: the pacing. I feel we could've used less time at the set-up, and more time at the finale and the resolution. As it stands, I was left wanting a more from the final pages. I will say that Klune's at times flowery and heavy-handed exploration of his themes actually work very well here. It is, after all, a fairytale retelling!

Overall, this is a 3.75/5 for me. For those who are familiar with Klune and have enjoyed his previous work (such as myself), this should be an easy sell. For those who are new to Klune, I'd recommend this one for the gay and ace rep, the characters (it's difficult to choose a favorite, but I think Hap would be mine), the found family, and the exploration into identity, freedom, and what it means to be alive.

(Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book; all opinions are my own)

Pro:
* Vic’s two robot friends are hilarious, and the interactions among the three of them are touching.
* Klune’s trademark tear-jerking moments: he does emotional connections really well.
* Superb Pinocchio adaptation with nods to Frankenstein and The Wizard of Oz
* I can absolutely see this as a movie.
* Political and social commentary of the best sci fi
* Classic hero’s quest

Con (minimal):
* Cliffhanger sentences at the end of the chapters aren’t necessary.
* Victor reads younger than it says he is. The book feels somewhat YA with adult humor in spots.
* End feels just a smidge drawn out.

The pros far outweigh the cons. Thank you to T.J. Klune, Tor Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of my all-time favorite books and because of that, TJ Klune has become a must read author.

Unfortunately, In the Lives of Puppets didn't quite draw me in like Cerulean did. It has its quirky, charming moments - man, I loved Nurse Ratched and her psychopathic ways - but ultimately it missed the mark as a whole.

It felt a bit of a mashup of Pinocchio, The Wizard of Oz, and a bit of the book A Psalm for the Wild-Built.

I laughed, I cried and I would do it all over again to experience the joy that is this book. The characters drew me in immediately, I laughed out loud at Nurse Ratched's delivery and I smiled every time Rambo interacted with everyone; I never thought I would have so many feelings for a little vacuum. Overall a great story with heart that I would recommend to everyone over and over again. Thank you so much for the advanced digital copy,

I liked the House in the Cerulean Sea, and this book has a great premise. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me. I just didn't feel drawn into the narrative or like I cared about the characters in the way that I did in Cerulean Sea. I had high hopes, but it was a disappointing read.

TJ Klune has done it again, this book stole my heart.

A fun and quirky take on a post apocalyptic story, this book features a group of robots and a man named Victor who have formed an unconventional family in their perfect forest home! When their world is unexpectedly turned upside down this group of unlikely heroes embark on the biggest adventure of their lives… and heartwarming hilarity ensues.

Despite being mainly driven by robots, this story felt beautifully human. We get to see these characters learn what it means to be “alive”, to develop unwavering faith in their people, and to be brave even in the scariest of moments! It was absolutely magical.

If you loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, you will love this one too - prepare to be taken on another unbelievable adventure!

Thanks to the author, @torbooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of one of my most anticipated books of the year!

Overall, I enjoyed this quest based sci fi with its unique cast of characters! Learning about the world’s past and present was especially interesting, but I feel the ending was too rushed. Not everything was flushed out at the end from a larger scale/world building aspect, and I feel like if it had I would have given this an extra star. The comedic banter between Nurse Ratched and Rambo was my favorite element of all the characters. This one read like a movie and was very visual experience for me, but left me wanting more answers and closure at the end.

This is a TJ Klune book, which means his magic of creating the best cast of characters will shine here yet again (Nurse Ratched is my favorite). If I were to compare it to his other well-known books, THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA and UNDER THE WHISPERING DOOR, I’d say this book is filthier, more risqué, has higher stakes, less romance, and—dare I say—more humorous. It’s a beautiful reverse Pinocchio story with touches of WALL-E, Howl’s Moving Castle, and that one art piece of flying whales. One thing I feel people might riot about is the ending. I personally like the bittersweet ending (they are the perfect endings in my opinion), even though I cried the entire way through. No notes. Another great story written!

Thank you to Tor for providing me an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have read the first two books in this "kindness" trilogy and absolutely adored both of them. I was excited for this book when I first heard about it and because TJ Klune is wonderful. I am so disappointed to say that this book was a bit of a miss for me! One thing that may heavily influence my opinion is that I tend to be a stickler on classic retellings. Pinocchio was not necessarily my favorite story to begin with, however I do give Klune kudos for choosing a story that has not been remade thousands of times (Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc.). I did enjoy seeing the parallels between the two stories, and even enjoyed what felt like a bit of a "Wizard of Oz" inclusion.

My main criticism is that I found I just did not connect with the characters like I have in the past books. I didn't dislike any of them but none of them pulled on my heart strings, even in the hard, tender moments. My favorite character was probably Nurse Ratched. I loved her lines and her "Empathy Protocol" followed by her usual threats made me laugh almost every time. Rambo was cute and represents an ADHD persona very well. I could see my daughter (who is diagnosed with this) in Rambo at times, and I could sympathize with the frustration of it felt by Vic and Nurse Ratched also.
Going to visit the Blue Fairy was a little jarring as it felt like there was SO much going on that I'm not even sure I fully understood it and I have some questions about the IDEA of this facility existing that I won't state here in order to keep this spoiler free. It was just a bit of an odd place for me in the story.
Lastly, I've always suspected this of myself as a reader but never confirmed it until now: I am not into human/non-human romantic relationships. They just aren't for me. I don't get it, I don't see the appeal. So needless to say, the connection on that aspect of the story was lost on me as well.

This book is NOT poorly written by any means, and I think Klune put in a lovely message about mistakes and forgiveness and what forgiveness can look like. I will continue to buy Klune's books and gush about his others. Maybe his next book will be just what I'm looking for.

Inspired by the Tales of Pinocchio, and the Swiss family Robinson, In the Lives of Puppets is the story of three robots, and a human: the paternal Giovanni Lawson, a nursing robot with sociopathic leanings affectionately known as Nurse RATCHED, an anxiously naïve Roomba known as Rambo, and Victor Lawson, Giovanni’s human son. They live a peaceful life as a family deep in the woods, and hidden from the rest of the world until Victor discovers, and brings to life an android he finds in the scrap yards, HAP (Hysterically Angry Puppet). Their quiet existence is interrupted when robots from Giovanni’s former life, discover his whereabouts, and take him away to the City of Electric Dreams. Victor, Nurse RATCHED, Rambo and HAP embark on a journey to rescue their friend and father. 

Throughout the book, the characters are searching to understand the meaning of their existence. Both human and android, take you on their journey of self discovery, as they ponder what it means to be human.

I can easily say that I am a fan of Klune’s work, and that this book will be one of my top reads this year. I loved all the characters and watching their personal growth in understanding themselves.  There are touching moments, where you become acutely aware of the fragility and bitter sweetness of life. There are also some really funny moments where I caught myself chuckling out loud. Mr. Klune’s fairy-tale like approach to intense subjects like diversity, self acceptance, and forgiveness just make you feel good about the world despite all of its craziness. At the heart of it all, this story proposes acceptance and connection among us all despite our differences. That we are all beautiful just as we are.

T.J. Klune is the master of writing about found family (one of my favorite themes). In the Lives of Puppets is all about found family, in a unique and endearing way.

Set in a post-human ruled world taken over by machines, Giovanni Lawson (a robot), his son Victor (a human), Nurse Ratched (a robot made to heal humans), and a Roomba named Rambo make an unlikely family. When they find a new creation to join their family, HAP, it makes them all question the validity of their relationships and their histories.

In an idyllic forest grove, Gio, Vic, and their buddies created a haven of beautiful buildings to live and work in (see the cover - one of my favorite covers of all time!) They live there peacefully until everything they know is upset by a few interconnected events. Sticking together, they work to make sure they're able to save as many of their family as possible, traveling through the post-apocalyptic world with interesting descriptions of the places humans used to inhabit.

As usual, the characters in Klune's books are some of the most lovable out there. Rambo and Nurse Ratched are such unheard of characters who are brought to life (nearly) with incredible humor. I can't wait for the audiobook of this novel, as I'm sure the characters will be read brilliantly as they were in Klune's other books.

Unfortunately this one was a miss for me. I connected with the robots more than I did with Victor, Gio, and their relationship - but I didn’t feel very drawn to the robot characters either. I felt that this book was missing the heart of The House in The Cerulean Sea. The dialogue was hard to get through and it seemed to drag on and on. The humor between the robots and Vic just fell flat for me.

‘WALL•E’ meets ‘The Brave Little Toaster’ with a dash of ‘The Wizard of Oz!’ Klune built such an imaginative world where machines reign supreme and we’re introduced to a unique family built out of loneliness. The characters are comical, heartbreaking, and oh so lovable, and I enjoyed following their evolution throughout the book.

Like in his previous novels, Klune crafted such unique characters. At times, there was a bit of unnecessary bickering amongst them though. While I’m positive this was partially intentional, it went a bit far and got annoying after a while. There were so many wonderfully clever moments, but these repetitive dialogues took a little glimmer from the characters charm.

One other “issue” I had was the numerous sexual references. While I have no issue with sex in books, some comments felt like they were included just for the sake of including. It felt awkward… a bit crude even? Maybe it was supposed to be humorous, but it for some reason felt off, like an odd juxtaposition with the “lovable” and “charming” characters. This isn’t a children’s book by any means, but the references felt forced and a little strange given the context. With that being said, I did appreciate the message of “love is love” throughout!

Overall, both critiques are minor. The story and character journey was wonderful and quite often I thought this would make an entertaining movie or TV series. Very fun and imaginative!

Thank you NetGalley and the team at Tor/Forge for my advanced copy.

I have come to find a sense of calm and whimsy in T.J. Klune's books that I rarely find in other books that I pick up.

Nothing beats diving into a new book written by him and just being transported into these worlds full of imaginative places and beautiful characters.

I could literally read his books for the rest of my life and be at my happiest.

"In the Lives of Puppets" is everything that you want. It's pure joy.

Yet, this time around I feel like we get to experience Klune's true sense of self. This might just be me but I feel like he let himself out of his shell more for this book. His humor is a little different. The characters are little more edgy. The world is a little more unique. .

I don't want to write too much and ruin the magic of experiencing this lovely story.

But I will give you a little tid-bit more, when I read this book I got a mix of Wall-E, Pinocchio, Brave Little Toaster and Mystery Science 3000 all smooshed together into an adult fantasy world.

It's good. It's pure joy. It's everything

Thank you Tor Books for granting my one wish for the year! I am so grateful to be able to read this treasure early!

You guys have something beautiful to look forward to. "In the Lives of Puppets" comes out April 25th but why not support the king of whimsy right now and pre-order a copy for yourself today! It's worth it! I can promise you that one thing.

Absolutely charming characters, at least 100 pages too long. I fell in love with the unique dynamics between the characters but ended up setting it aside at 70%. This rarely happens to me! I was finding myself just so done with the story. The charm is less charming the 200th time around. This would’ve been five stars if it was 200 pages, not 400+.

I am torn between rating this a 2 or a 3. There were parts of this story that I really enjoyed. I loved Nurse Ratched and Rambo! They had some great lines, and as an introverted engineer, I can relate to “engaging empathy protocol”. The home felt very “Swiss Family Robinson”, and would be an awesome place to visit.

What I did not like was that it was unnecessarily sexual. The extremely graphic fantasy scene in Heaven added nothing to the storyline. Why was it included? To make some kind of point? To check a box? The book made a big deal out of Vic being asexual. But this was based on Nurse Ratched concluding he must be asexual because he got embarrassed when she was talking about sex. Perhaps a more valid assumption would be that no boy wants to talk about sex with a parent or authority figure and without being exposed to any humans, how would he know who he is attracted to? Overall, I felt the focus on Vic’s sexuality overshadowed the theme of the family.

I loved The House in the Cerulean Sea, and I really wanted to love this one. But the end left me feeling that Vic was in a sad and hopeless situation, and I just wanted him find other humans somewhere in the world so he wouldn’t be alone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of publication.

This was another whimsical read from TJ Klune, with fine characters that carry us through the plots twists and turns. Giovanni is a man who lives in isolation in the forest — until one day a child, the last human child, is in his care. What comes next is a real boy and his beautiful AI cast of best friends on they embark on a journey to show that love and spirit conquer all. I really appreciated the Pinocchio hints and nods throughout the book as well.

Representation: 5
Emotion: 3
Characters: 4
Plot: 4
Pacing: 3
Prose: 5
Romance: 4

Final Rating: 4/5

I really liked the asexual rep in this, since little things were mentioned about common misconceptions. The romance is a cute slow burn. The pacing was kind of middle of the road, but I thought some scenes dragged on, especially the end.

I really enjoyed Part One, but started to lose interest as more of the Plot was revealed. I think I partially stopped enjoying it as much becauae the narration at one point straight up lies to the readers. If if was first person, I would accept this as an unreliable narrator. Since it's third person, it felt a little cheap. Like Klune couldn't find a clever plot twist, so he just gave us false information then said "JK, here's what really happened."

Near the middle, I started to suspect I wouldn't like the ending. It was better than I thought, but I'm still a little meh about it.

Whimsical and laugh out loud funny. This is definitely a story for those into sci-fi mixed in with some A. I. and Pinocchio. Loved the story line.