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.