TJ Klune does it again! This was such a bitter sweet story that really got me in my feels - how could you not love all the robotic companions and the ensuing love story? Vic's whole story just made me want to cry because of how sad but lovely it was; there's so much hope in these pages and it's something really needed at the moment. I really appreciated all the nods to the sci-fi landscape; the development of a take on a classic story and making it entirely new; and the whole sequence in the City of Electric Dreams where I was so tense because I was rooting so hard for all of the characters, While the story probably doesn't warrant a sequel, I'd love some sort of mini spin off novella because I missed these characters as soon as I finished reading. Arguably I think this might be Klune's best work so far!

TJ Klune has become one of my favourite authors in the last few years and this book didn’t disappoint. One of my favourite things that makes their books a success is the unique and engaging plots that keep my engaged from the very beginning. The characters are written in a way that make me so attached to them and keep me invested in their stories and hoping things will work out for them. I’m super excited to read even more from the author in the future.

For a book featuring an asexual protagonist, the amount of sexual joes, innuendoes and themes felt out of place an unnecessary. As an asexual myself i felt uncomfortable at times by the sheer volume of lewdity that often felt out of place. I also struggled with the plot and the ending left much to be desired with no real answers or conclusions. Not my favourite Klune.

That being said, I absolutely adored Rambo's character and as always Klune has a way of building relationships and family dynamics that I love which is pretty much the only reason this wasn't a lower rating or even a DNF.

I don’t know about just Pinocchio, I got some Wizard of Oz vibes as well from this wondrous book. I love a retelling, I’ve read quite a lot of them, and I’m fully prepared to read more, especially if the imagination and emotions are anything like those in In The Lives of Puppets. The ‘Found Family’ theme that runs through TJ Kline’s books is so beautiful: if people, for whatever reason, are rejected by or have lost their families, it’s reassuring to know that there are people, families, like this out there (but not necessarily robots…).

Even after discovering the truth of his origins, Victor still wants to save his father, Giovanni, and his friends want to help him and keep him safe. He is probably the last human alive. Robot society is very interesting, especially as they seem to want to mimic humans, even though they seem to be the ones responsible for their demise (although I think the humans were more than capable of destroying themselves).

Actually, I don’t want to say too much more, other than the fact that I loved reading this and I was sad to see it come to an end - it was perfect!

Whilst I can appreciate what an interesting concept this was, unfortunately I just didn't connect with the characters in this book and so I didn't really enjoy it. I didn't feel any desire for things to turn out well for them or to care about what happened to them. There seemed to be long periods where nothing really happened and the focus was more on the characters but because I didn't care for them it left me feeling bored. I have absolutely loved other books by T J Klune so definitely expected more that I got from this one. I didn't hate it, I just felt indifferent and disconnected.

The first half of this book was absolutely fantastic and it was looking like it was going to be a 4.5/5 star read for me, but then the focus of the plot changed and it completely changed the mood.
I loved Gio and his wonderfully imaginative and creative life in the woods. There was some humour scattered throughout the story that matched my own and I actually found myself laughing out loud at times. The characters were loveable and I was invested in them enough to care about where the story went. Sadly, the story completely morphs into something else in the second half and I just was not a fan. I didn't like the new characters that we met and the humour felt misplaced. It felt like an entirely different book and I found myself slowly losing interest in what was going to happen.
It's a shame as I loved the first half of this book so much but I am still glad to have had the chance to pick it up!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

DNF from me, sorry. I couldn’t adapt to the writing style at all. I will try some of the authors other books.

FYI the netgalley version of this book on kindle came out in a very strange format which made it hard to read, unfortunately.

Some of the characters felt like they were for a younger audience, specifically the two robots that the main character lives with. There were some interesting ideas and plot points. Overall don't think I'm the target audience for this one, unfortunately! Loved the author's other book The House in the Cerulean Sea so will give other books a try.

This narrative is a delightful read, centered around the idea of living in beautiful treehouses in the woods. However, there is much more to the story than just that. The main characters, Victor and his father, are on a journey that turns out to be much more significant than they originally thought. The character development is skillfully done, and the story's pace is just perfect, building up until the very end. The trials and tribulations that the characters go through are full of excitement and emotion, leaving the reader engrossed until the last page.

As expected from TJK novels, I found myself shedding tears while reading it. However, the romance in this story was not as convincing as in other TJK books. Nonetheless, the novel is a wholesome read, full of love, hope, and acceptance. It follows an asexual main character and his robot family/friends on their journey to save Victor's father. The writing is beautiful, with witty dialogue and fantastic characterisation. The book also explores the found family trope, which is one of my favourites.

However, I did not connect with the characters as much as I would have liked, most likely due to my personal preference for stories without a sci-fi element like this one. Regardless, reading this story left me feeling hopeful and full of love.

#netgalley #inthelivesofpuppets #bookreview #fantasy #generalfiction #romance

TW: genocide, grief, violence, death

Amazing writer, for young readers and old.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Disclaimer: e-Arc provided by Pan MacMillan, Tor, via Net Galley for Review. All thoughts are my own. My thanks to Tor, for providing me with the arc for review.

DNF’d at 24%

I tried to read this physically, digitally and via audiobook and I just couldn’t get through it.

This is a queer science fiction retelling of Pinocchio.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this book but I’m so bored and my desire to pick this up is zero.

Emotions galore for a broken robot and a confused boy - a strange Pinocchio retelling that pulls at the heart strings in true TJK fashion.

I genuinely loved this narrative, the idea of living in the woods in treehouses was perfect but obviously there wouldn’t be a story if that was all there was! Victor and his dad are part of something much bigger than themselves and it was perfectly developed over the timeline to show us how important this story is. The trials and tribulations along the way were full of excitement and emotion and I was engrossed until the last page.

Crying is a given with TJK novels, this was no exception. I did feel less convinced by the romance than with other TJK books, it didn’t flow as easily as Hugo and Wallace or was as intense as Ox and Joe.

As always, TJ Klune has written such a wholesome novel full of love, hope, and acceptance. This retelling of Pinnochio follows an asexual main character and his robot friends/family on their journey to save his father. The writing throughout is so beautiful and funny and really illuminates the found family trope that I absolutely adore. It had amazing characterisation and development, funny dialogue, and an interesting plotline. Unfortunately, I just didn’t fall in love with it as much as I was expecting. For reasons unknown to me, I didn’t connect to the characters like I wanted to and that’s possibly due to the sci-fi element which is definitely a personal preference issue. In general, though, I loved reading this story and left it feeling hopeful and full of love.

TW: genocide, grief, violence, death

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

I will never not buy a T J Klune book. The writing and the storytelling is just incredible, I can never put the books down and this one was no exception. I will be surprised if this book doesn’t make it as a movie because it was just incredible. I loved the world it created, the emotion it evoked, the deep thoughts it dragged out.. just everything! Easy 5 stars!

Pulling On The Strings Of In The Lives Of Puppets

…And it all sort of unravels. I desperately wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t wait for it to be over and that’s never a good sign. I received this from Netgalley in exchange for review– but I’m no marionette, so I’ve got to say my piece.

As a story it was a little all over the place. Perhaps the reason I didn’t like it was because it was trying to be too many things for too many people. In a post-human world, where robots rule and humans are extinct, this built its ideas using a plethora of literary and pop culture references. Starting off as Pinnochio and morphing into Frankenstein, it had a really strong premise. In theory, that could’ve been so cool, yet I think it ended up being a bit messy for me. It’s such a delicate operation to combine two differing concepts and making them work together- and I wasn’t convinced it pulled it off.

Plotwise, it was both fast moving and slow in parts. When the android is introduced, it picked up for sure and I got reasonably invested in their journey together. It was simultaneously life-affirming and pro-humanity… whilst also very anti-human and pessimistic. This could work- I am just not here for that level of apologia just for existing and didn’t think the ideas married well. Crossing themes from two disparate narratives simply didn’t mesh well. For instance, much of the book is preoccupied with rescuing the father figure from the belly of the whale- only he is also a god-like figure who has played with life and death. I was left feeling confused and out of sorts by the rather-too-chipper ending- especially after the backstory is revealed to be the genocide of all humanity by machines. A happy ending felt forced and forgiveness felt unearned.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t taken with the writing. Though I’ve enjoyed other books by the author, I found the humour distractingly immature and the dialogue placed the story firmly in the 21st century. It seems every single story nowadays, whether it’s supposed to be historic or futuristic, must have the programming of the modern era. As much as there are ways that could make sense, it prevented me fully feeling immersed in an unfamiliar world.

Overall, there were some nice ideas here, it just didn’t totally work for me.

Rating: 2½/5 bananas

I don’t even know how to describe the feels I get from Klune’s books.

He has a remarkable ability of putting into words the depths of the human soul. He’s an amazing writer and storyteller but this particular ability is that wins above all every time.

In this story, we meet Victor who is the last human living hidden from the rest of the world with his unconventional family of robots. When one day Victor will repair an android call HAP, his adventure will start to save his robot father Gio from the rest of the robots and he will untangle his own story and how he ended up being the last of the humans.

The story is so original, emotional and heartbreaking and also so amazing that is captivating. It has a very nice pace, delivering information about the world and the characters throughout the plot in a smooth way that melts everything together. Simple language but rich and meaningful. The characters are so lovely that I didn’t want to part with them at the end of the story. Finally, the ending is so heartwarming and full leaving the reader with a feeling of a strong fulfilment.

I absolutely adore TJ Klune's writing and the heartwarming messages in these books and In The Lives Of Puppets was no different. Adored it!

I love the story of Pinnochio and so as soon as I saw this was not only a retelling but a queer retelling of Pinocchio I knew I had to read it and oh my gosh what a book.
I refuse to spoil it for anyone and I could talk about it for ages so please believe me when I say read it

I love Klune's books. Every single one of them: there is something warm in them, and the humor... and.... damn, the writing is so good!