I had an amazingly fun time reading this book!
We have a whole lot of short comic-like stories told in novel form, that chronicle Velveteen and her separation from the Junior Superhero League
I loved Velveteen! From start to finish her snarky personality, love for her friends, and asking for the toys permission before recruiting them all made me not want to put this down.
At over 500 pages, I thought it would take me a while to read all the stories, but they were all fast-paced and so interesting that I didn't want to put the book down even to go to bed. This made me awful tired the next morning, but it was totally worth it.
I will absolutely be reading all Velveteen Stories in the future!

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

This is a collection of short stories that, all together, end up telling a comprehensive story about Vel, who had to go on the run from her superhero past, and the various battles she has to fight along the way- leading up to the inevitable boss battle. Even though there were several characters, they were well-written and easy to sympathize with. The superheroes that just make cameos have fun names and varying power sets, so that was entertaining. There are a lot of creative ideas explored, not only with differing powers, but also with their origins. The stories at the beginning start out more lighthearted, and as you get to learn more about the awful things the characters have had to deal with, the stories take on a more serious tone and add urgency to the situation. The conclusion of it all was pretty satisfying, even though you know it's leading right into more adventures immediately.

This was a unique take on superheroes, and I'm definitely going to read more of the Velveteen stories. I'm invested in these characters now and need to know what happens next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for the advanced copy of this serial collection. Below is my honest review.

Finally, a chance to catch up on Velveteen's adventures! I have hardcover copies of the first three collections, but they're rare and limited print, so they're packed up in protective covering with all of my special books. I didn't want to mess them up! So when I saw this on Netgalley, I knew I MUST have a copy to read. It's one of the few Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant works I haven't touched before now.

I really liked Velveteen, but some of the side characters really caught my fancy - especially Tag, Victory Anna, and the Princess. I really like the concepts behind so many of the power sets, and they were a lot of fun to read.

Looking forward to more!!

Recommended for fans of McGuire/Grant, superpowers, comic books, and serial stories.

I liked Velma and I’m a McGuire fan through and through, but this bind-up didn’t work for me. The constant jumping around in time and place, the frequent flashbacks to things that aren’t relevant to our major overarching “now” plot. It’s really obvious that most of this was originally a series of short stories/novellas and I think that’s how it should have stayed. It’s too long and it takes a long time to get a sense of “accomplishment”

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC! PLEASE add this omnibus title to Goodreads so it can be reviewed and shared!

These stories follow Vel Martinez, who can animate toys, as she tries to make a life for herself after leaving the controlling megacorporation Super Patriots, Inc, The universe is superficially similar to The Boys, in that it involves a more realistic and nuanced look at a world where superheroes are real, and examines themes of power dynamics, corporate control, trauma, but it explores it with a lot more empathy and whimsy (and less gore), without pulling emotional punches. The characters are well-rounded and the worldbuilding is solid, and although at times the dialogue and humor are a bit cliched, there is a lot of creative thought but into the superpowers and backstories of all the heroes.

The stories were originally published as a series of LiveJournal entries. I only learned this at the very end of the book, but it was pretty obvious based on the structure. The book is divided up into chapters that read more like short stories, and feel very much like single comic issues in tone. It fits the theme well, but I can't help buy think that these would have been better presented as comics. I've only ever read McGuire's Wayward Children books, but the Velveteen stories often suffer from a similar issues to those novellas which I will call "Recapitis". As much as I love her workk, the author isn't always one for subtlety, and concepts and emotions are writ large and repeated many times, just to make sure you understand things and are caught up on everything. It's like having a "Previously on..." at the beginning of every chapter. This is a perfectly fine thing to do between books in a series, but is a bit much in a serialized format, making many sentences, conversations, or even paragraphs in this book feel a bit repetitive. I could only roll my eyes after the third time Rankin/Bass was referenced to describe Jackie's aesthetic. We get it, she's blue!

As others have pointed out, the Appendices at the end of Velveteen vs. The Super Junior Patriots contains MAJOR spoilers for Velveteen vs. The Multiverse, and having it there in the middle of this book was a massive oversight that basically ruins one of the big reveals in the next part of the book. There were also a few obvious typos that, after being published previously, should have probably been caught by an editor.

Overall, it feels like the publisher just copy-pasted the LiveJournal entries into an omnibus and gave little consideration to polishing the work to make it better adapted to a single novel, which is disappointing because the stories and the author deserve better. The cover art for this book is polished enough, but doesn't really present any part of the world of the stories like the original cover art did so well, and IMO is a step down.

Despite some technical flaws, I thoroughly liked these stories, individually and collectively, and I definitely didn't expect to enjoy them as much as I did, as I'm not much of a superhero person. I had trouble putting the book down, despite being pretty long, and despite some disjointed plotlines and loose threads that never resolved, the end of the book came together really well. I'm definitely going to seek out Velveteen vs. The Seasons and continue reading this.

This book was a great ride from start to finish. The stories, which seem to have been originally published independently, are split into two parts in this book. The book also includes really fun appendices following each part. The final copy may contain changes, but in my copy the appendices following the first part contain major spoilers for the rest of the story, so I would definitely skip the first time around.
The episodic format of the stories really makes the book. I can really see this being adapted into a great TV show. The characters are interesting and unique takes on superheroes, with a nice balance between seriousness and edginess. It would have been really easy for this book to go too far in either direction, but I think it really pulls it off.
I also didn't realize how long this book would be when I picked it up, but I didn't end up feeling the length while reading it. The pacing is fairly quick, and the side characters keep things interesting outside of the main plot. The conclusion to the story felt very satisfying and ties together most loose threads nicely. The only negative to this is now I have to find the rest of the stories!

I'm so happy Velveteen is back in print! I read and loved some of these stories years ago but then couldn't track them down again or find the rest. Velma is an excellent and relatable protagonist, and her world is easy to fall into.

What do you do when you are a teen superhero and your life has been controlled by a megalithic business enterprise until you turn 18? In the case of our protagonist, known to the world as Velveteen Rabbit, you quit, try to work temp jobs until the corporation tries to drag you back in (for the rest of your likely shortened lifespan) and you need to flee for your life! This was an entertaining, imaginative , what-if look at what could happen if superhero’s with powers existed and saving the world was privatized as a business to be marketed and merchandised. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ecopy in exchange for and honest review.

Velveteen cried havoc and let slip the dolls of war.

Part of me wants to leave my review there, but the rest of me realizes it would be fucked up times 8373 to do that for an ARC.

So. None of these are new stories. As the title states, these are the early adventures Velveteen, the most recent of which was published on McGuire's LiveJournal back in 2013. BUT, I only read a handful of them back then bc I had v smol and distracting children running around who caused me to forget many things, including things I really loved.

Which...I shouldn't have loved this as much as I did. I don't really LIKE most superhero stories (always preferred horror or science fiction comics), but there was just enough bureaucratic bullshit (my personal weakness) to keep me engaged.

A small nitpick would be the first set of Appendices toward the middle of the book, which kind of spoiled some future reveals and plotlines, but [shrug]. It's not enough to mark it down.

Really hoping McGuire is able to complete Velveteen's arc, and that there will be another omnibus from Subterranean in the not too distant future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the ARC!

I can't pick just one favorite thing about McGuire's work, but I feel like her imagination vies for that spot. Any work of McGuire's you pick up, and she has generously given us a plethora to choose from, you can tell she's thought a GREAT deal about what she's writing about.

Velveteen is no different. Imagine a world where super powers are real, and you can be recruited to specific teams to help you learn how to be a more effective hero. That's the world Velveteen lives in, and at the beginning of this collection, has just left. Velma "Velveteen" Martinez has left saving the world behind for a quieter life, but somehow trouble keeps finding her, and she finds ir hard to refuse the call.

The first part of this book feels a little more disjointed in the stories than the latter half, but those stories are important and set the back drop for the second half. And when you get to the second half, what was Velveteen vs the Multiverse, it is so engaging. The cast expands, the stakes are upped, and you find yourself admiring just how much THOUGHT McGuire put into the heroine that animates plushes.

I had trouble putting this down, I had dreams about these stories, and I have a pretty awful book hangover from this. I cannot recommend this book enough

I greatly enjoy Velveteen, and I was so excited to read this book! These are such fun stories, and I really love the world building of the heroes and the corporations. Seanan is a fantastic writer, and I am so happy to delve into more of her works!

I liked this, but I think I didn't realize before reading it that it was essentially a bunch of short stories that were collected together about one character. I think because of that I enjoyed some parts of the book way more than I did others, but overall I'm going to like anything Seanan McGuire writes really.

Thank you NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the ARC.

I had requested this ARC because the cover was so cute (fighting stuffies so adorable) and the description sounded like something so different than the usual superhero book or comic. I am really glad I stepped out of my usual reads because this was 5 stars and made me realize I do like some superhero books.

It reads like a comic in novel form, so there are like episodes of her adventures that are short and wrap up quickly but Velveteen’s story grows and is interconnected between them all. In this world people having super powers is more of a given due to either genetic or environmental reasons but powers tend me to be rather random and some are never realized due to the randomness (such as the power to other bake things perfectly or only hit green lights). If their powers are more significant those these potential superhero’s are ‘purchased’ as kids and trained up to be employees of the company run by a rather ominous department just referred to as Marketing. They have the choice to leave when they turn 18 and that is what Veleveteen did. This novel covers her adventures as a child growing up in the corporation and then once she is an adult how she fights to stay free of them and still feel like she is making a difference. I love that she doesn’t have the usual main character type powers but rather has the power to animate toys to fight for her, and that she tends to use forgotten toys and always asks for their permission to buy them to be used in battles.

The only thing I would say, please keep in mind I read an early ARC so therefore additional editing could happen, is that at the end of the grouping of the sections there is an appendix that will have spoilers so I would recommend skipping over them.

This collection of McGuire's Velveteen superhero stories, originally published online and later collected in several omnibus editions, is an addictive, compelling look at the dark intersection of superheroes and corporate manipulation, and a chilling exploration of what it means to be a child star who's grown up. McGuire's superhero world is both playful and terrifying, and her characters fascinating. A collection well worth picking up.

Seanan McGuire always does a wonderful job in creating a unique superhero story. I was hooked from the first page and had that writing style that I enjoyed from other books by Seanan McGuire. It had characters that I cared about and enjoyed how they worked in this universe.

Thank you NetGalley, Subterranean Press, and, as always, the delightful Seanan McGuire for this fabulous eARC.

If you are a fan of any of Ms. McGuire's work, you're in for a treat... if you're not a fan of her work, read this one anyway. Whether you read Velveteen as the allegory it could be with an artfully brutal takedown of childhood exploitation, vicarious living through parenting, and our capitalist society or simply as the marvelously crafted adventure it certainly is, you're bound to have a grand time with this one! Can I give 6 stars?

I actually read all of these stories forever ago on Seanan McGuire's website and LiveJournal, but I was super excited to see a new release being issued since not nearly enough people have been introduced to Velveteen and her world. Velveteen vs. is Seanan McGuire's answer to the superhero genre. Velma Martinez (code name "Velveteen" due to her affinity for animating things like stuffed animals) was sold to Super Patriots, Inc. (the world's largest manager of superhumans) as a child. She didn't have time to figure out right and wrong, and the Super Patriots don't like heroes who ask questions. Vel walked away as soon as she could, and as the stories begin she is living as a rogue hero outside of the borders managed by the Super Patriots. Of course, events and old friends and enemies are about to drag her back into the larger superhuman world.

The Velveteen vs. stories may start off sounding like a light and humorous take on superheroes, but like most of Seanan McGuire's work the story quickly becomes quite a bit darker and more complex, asking all sorts of questions about what can and should be done with power and authority. The characters are all delightful, and nothing is exactly as it seems. I love that Subterranean is issuing this new edition of the early stories so that maybe Velveteen can finally develop the following that she deserves.

Listen, I don’t know if I’ve ever read anything by Seanan McGuire I would rate below 4 stars, and Velveteen vs. The Early Adventures is no different. I’m such a big fan of the Velveteen vs. series, and have been for ages. Velveteen vs. is a fantastic deconstruction of the superhero genre, child stars, and capitalism and how the expectations of any of those is enough to destroy a person. Let alone the expectations of all three. I cannot recommend this series enough and I hope McGuire comes out with more soon.