I honestly don't know what I enjoyed more, the book or the audiobook! The narrator really brought the story to life and I couldn't stop listening!

I was so charmed by the author's prior book that i couldn't wait to listen to this one! It's not quite as magical, perhaps, but also quite charming and entertaining! Looking forward to reading more by TJ Klune in the future!

Title: A Mixed Bag: "In the Lives of Puppets" Audiobook by TJ Klune

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

TJ Klune's "In the Lives of Puppets" in audiobook format is an intriguing journey that combines elements of fantasy and introspection. While the story has its moments of brilliance, there are aspects of the audiobook that might leave listeners with a mixed impression.

The narration is a standout feature of this audiobook. The choice of the narrator and their ability to convey the various characters' emotions and distinct voices contribute significantly to the overall experience. The pacing is generally well-executed, keeping the listener engaged throughout the narrative.

Klune's imaginative world-building adds a layer of whimsy to the story. The concept of living puppets and the exploration of their lives offer a unique perspective, creating a setting that is both charming and mysterious. The author's creativity shines through in the construction of this fantastical realm.

However, the audiobook's narrative structure may prove challenging for some listeners. The story weaves between different timelines and perspectives, and at times, it can be challenging to keep track of the unfolding events. This complexity might hinder the overall accessibility of the story for some audiences.

Character development is another area where the audiobook falls short. While certain characters are fleshed out and endearing, others feel underdeveloped, lacking the depth needed to fully connect with the listener. This can result in a somewhat uneven emotional investment in the characters' fates.

Moreover, the pacing of the story may feel uneven, with moments of intense action followed by slower, contemplative passages. While this variety can contribute to the audiobook's overall texture, it might not appeal to listeners seeking a more consistently paced narrative.

The conclusion of "In the Lives of Puppets" may leave some listeners wanting more resolution. Certain plotlines and character arcs are left open-ended, potentially leaving a sense of dissatisfaction for those who prefer a more conclusive ending.

In summary, TJ Klune's "In the Lives of Puppets" audiobook is a mixed bag, offering a whimsical world and engaging narration but falling short in terms of narrative structure and character development. It's recommended for those who appreciate inventive fantasy settings and are willing to navigate a complex narrative. However, listeners who prefer straightforward storytelling and well-rounded character arcs may find the experience less satisfying.

I really wanted to enjoy this and I think it's just a matter of a potentially great book at the wrong time. I will purchase this and attempt to read later but DNF at 30%.

3/5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love the narrator of TJ Klune's books. He really knows how to bring the books to life. I will say that he does use the same voices in every book which makes it a little difficult to transition into the new characters. The book was an interesting retelling of Pinocchio. I didn't really enjoy the story, but I love the narrator enough to keep going. The characters are always so fun and entertaining. Klune really knows how to build a life around each character.

You know, how some books just stay with you for a while. This is one of those books. It is a cross between Pinocchio and Steven Spielberg’s AI, but with a happy ending and a ton of heart. Hap is the last living boy. The world has been taken over by robots. He survives out in the woods with his father Gio, with no knowledge that he is fully unique. Upon accidently alerting the AI overlords that he is alive, dangerous adventure begins to find humanity within the metal and wires of artificial life.

This is my first TJ Klune book. I see why his stories are beloved. This was engrossing. And I didn’t mind when I had to listen to section repeatedly because I missed something. Sometimes I listened to them again because they made me laugh. There is tongue in cheek comedy like the vacuum that is named Rambo (probably a Rumba from our time), and the nursing box named Ms. Ratchet. This book is just fun. But it also makes you think. Both at AI and what could happen, and at what it means to be human, especially when there are no other humans around to learn from.

I loved this book. I have many others by this author in my collection that I look forward to reading. I know he is considered controversial to some, and I understand and respect those feelings.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea so I thought that would translate into love of all of his novels at least on some level but I just absolutely could not get into this book. I have been trying and failing to read it for 6 months now and I'm finally letting myself be free.

While the robots did have a lot of character I just could not bond with them. They just seemed to have a lot of a singular character and no dimension. Maybe I didn't get far enough as I DNFd this book at 35% but it was just too much work. There was also a lot of emotional stress with no warm payoff. I know that conflict has to be built but there was a point that the conflict felt too heavy. Someone is dying, someone is kidnapped, someone is evil like I was simply too stressed.

While this book does have the technical good writing that Klune has shown in his books this story was just a no for me.

All of Klune's books have been misses for me. This books seemed to be a very weird take on wizard of oz and pinochio. The sexual innuendos were over the top for me - and I think there is no shame is smut...this just seemed unnecessary for these characters. The one robot was also very annoying, and I almost DNF this one, butpushed through.

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.

The narration by Daniel Henning was immaculate! Who knew you could be in tears of laughter and heartbreak from the emotion narrated for some robots and their boy? So incredible. TJ Klune is a genius.

5 stars.

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

T.J. Klune's In the Lives of Puppets wasn't even on my reading radar at first, and I hesitated a bit before requesting it for review. The synopsis didn't quite hook me for some reason, but there was this gut feeling pulling me toward the book anyway. Now, having read it, I can say that the story was very different from what I expected and that I’m so glad I listened to my gut because this is one of my top Klune books to date!

I absolutely loved the characters, especially the androids, and would choose this group as my favourite group of Klune characters if someone told me I had to choose. They made me laugh and cry—the dialogue, banter, and interactions were just great. The characters were really the heart of In the Lives of Puppets (those of you who already read this one will likely notice what I did there).

The story itself was great too—I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a quest-type plot to this extent. In the Lives of Puppets was also quite the emotional rollercoaster for me. I don’t think I spent even one mine while immersed in these pages not feeling anything. In the Lives of Puppets was both heartwarming and heartbreaking, in true Klune fashion.

I’m glad that I was sent a physical copy to review, and was also accepted for the audiobook through NetGalley so that I could listen to a few chapters while on the go / doing chores around the house. I really enjoyed the narrator, and loved how they brough the characters to life with their narration style. I really enjoyed going on this journey with the characters, and can’t wait to see what Klune has in store for us next!

I am in actual physical pain typing this out, but I did not enjoy In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune as much as I thought I would. Under the Whispering Door is my absolute favorite book. I own multiple copies, in multiple formats and have read it several times already. The House in the Cerulean Sea was the book that introduced me to Klune and made him an auto-buy author in my household. When Lives of Puppets came across my radar I HAD to have it and was so very excited when I received the ARC. But it seem like this particular book is just not for me unfortunately. And that's ok. Not every book is for every reader.
The characters are adorable (who would have guessed I would say this about an old Roomba?), but I just cannot connect with them and get engaged.
Why do I still give it 3/5 stars? Just because a slow-burn Pinocchio retelling with robots isn't my cup of tea, doesn't mean it is necessarily a bad book. If you are a sci-fi/fantasy reader who enjoys quirky characters (especially if you enjoyed the characters in Klune's other books) and you don't mind taking your time to get into the story, you might very well enjoy this book much more than I did!
The narration by Daniel Henning was absolutely superb however, it really helped the characters come to life and helped me finish the book I had originally put on my DNF pile, so there is that!

I will be the first to say that I am not a fan of Disney's Pinocchio nor the source material, but a queer futuristic retelling with robots was definitely my jam. I have enjoyed TJ Klune's writing in the past but this fantastical world of hilarious robots really won me over! I really enjoyed the characters and their crazy personalities, but the adventures they went on was also so great. They really learn a lot along the way and it was amazing how one second you're laughing out loud and the next you're on the verge of tears. I will highly recommend you get the audiobook for this one as the narrator Daniel Henning did a wonderful job of giving each robot a unique voice and really truly brought them to life. I'm so pleasantly surprised that this book was so fun, and how much I enjoyed it. After reading the author's acknowledgements I really wonder what the original storyline was!!

I loved TJ Klune’s previous novel, The House in the Cerulean Sea, so I was anticipating this follow up release.

IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS was such a unique, mind bending story that was a mashup of Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and adventure. I loved the themes of found family you choose, and the characters were so good! The family consisted of an inventor robot, a nurse robot, a human, and a puppet,

I listened to the audiobook format and thought the narrator was such a great choice, and it left me with all the heartwarming feelings when I finished.

*many thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the gifted copy for review

I have now read two of Klune’s books and while The House on the Cerulean Sea will be a favorite of mine, this one was really good, especially via audiobook, which was fantastic. He has a way of bringing things to life, in this case robots, and making you endeared to them throughout the book along with teaching you a lesson. I really enjoyed this heartwarming read and am looking forward to reading more of his works.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC to review.

I love T.J. Klune. I have never read a Klune novel that didn't take me through the gamut of emotions in 1.5 seconds. This didn't give me the same level of *Oh my god, that was the best thing ever written* as some of his other works (Cerulean Sea, for instance), but it still left me with a soft, happy glow.

*3.25 stars*

This was a cute queer found family retelling of Pinocchio, a sort of cozy post apocalyptic quest story with robots.

The found family aspect was the best part of this story with a quirky cast of robot characters. It had some humorous moments but it felt like the first half of the book had too many weird sexual jokes that just seemed to focus on making the previously established asexual main character uncomfortable. I would also have liked a little more of the main friendship trios history.

I think if you like Klune’s other works you will like this too.

I personally liked the audio narration and didn’t find the different robot voices distracting, but if over the top quirky voiced characters bother you the audio may not be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ALC of this work. All opinions in this review are my own.

This one took me longer to read than I expected. I listened to the audiobook, and it just took me a while to get into. I think some of the robotic voices (especially Rambo) took me out of things a little bit. That being said, once it got going, I really enjoyed the story and the characters! I thought it was a really cool twist on Pinocchio, with nice Easter eggs to the original story

This cozy fantasy has been my least favorite of these stories from T.J. Klune. I enjoyed the beginning, but felt that the journey that took place was rushed. The focus was just on the wrong elements for me.

I love all things T.J. Klune.
Also, while House in the cerulean sea might still be my favorite book, In the Lives of puppets is hands down the funniest and most clever and the narrator made it even funnier. Only thing that dragged on for me was when they eventually reached the blue fairy. Other than that, loved it!

TJ Klune is just a word magician. All his writing illicit such nostalgia in me. Loved this fantasy book once more.