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.