Thank you, Tor Books, for allowing me to read In the Lives of Puppets early.

A shout-out to everyone who loves T.J. Klune's books: he has done it again! Read this one, preorder it now!

Klune has done it again with a heartwarming, complicated, thought-provoking gem of a book. I devoured it in two days and wish I could have made it last longer. I was not a big fan of his previous one (In the Whispering Woods), though I ADORED Cerulean Sea. I am happy to report that this one worked for me again. Think Cerulean Sea meets Becky Chambers’ Monk and Robot series, with a dash of Murderbot. It’s a little darker than those books, but still a heartwarming ending and made me hurt in really human ways. Highly recommend.

I would like to start by saying I had extremely high expectations for this after reading both Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door earlier this year, both of which were five star reads and immediately became favorites of mine. Perhaps this being a retelling brought along the changes, but I have to say I was incredibly disappointed. Part of the draw of Klune for me has been his ability to take us into the home of characters and settle into their daily lives. With Puppets being about a quest, I felt the plot development caused character development to be neglected and the Hap/Vic storyline specifically became heavily formulaic. Because of this I found myself not really caring much about Gio, Hap or Vic. I found Part IV (the final chapter) to be incredibly repetitive to the extent that that part alone could be read as a summary of the book and you would get the gist of the entire thing. Maybe due to my already being disappointed but I personally could've done without the majority of this part and enjoyed the story a bit more overall. All of this is not to say that I did not enjoy the novel. The shining stars or major redemption of this book for me were Nurse Ratched and Rambo. These characters bring the humor and cozy vibes that I've come to expect from Klune. Unfortunately later into the journey these characters become a bit lesser, I would have like to have seen more from them. Had this been my introduction to the author, I believe my overall views would be very different.

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this so ahead of time, truly a gift.

As a self-professed TJ Klune fangirl who has at multiple points considered getting lines of text tattooed on my body, hoo boy did I cry finding out this was available for me. And as I've come to expect, I was not let down in the slightest.. Following the traditions of Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door, this is very much another easy narrow-scope fantasy with a softboi/grump slow burn romance. And I ate it UP.

The story follows Victor, a human who was adopted by a found family of sentient robots living in the forest away from civilization. Victor finds a new robot to rehabilitate, and through what comes of that, is forced into the world at large, to see what society has become while they've been removed from it, as well as the roles his friends and family used to play in that society. Victor wouldn't be complete without his trusty sidekicks/best friends, a cheery naive vacuum named Rambo (who I exclusively read in the voice of GIR from Invader Zim, to many giggles from the audience. It's me. I was the audience) and an old angry semi-sociopathic medical bot named Nurse Ratched.

This book checked every box for me, my heart was warmer, I got tears in my eyes over the SMALLEST moments of progress and relationship building. It was a more plot-driven story than his first two standalones, which were both very character-driven, but that did nothing to take away from the characters and their growth. TJ had a lot to say about humanity and the strength and weakness that comes with emotions and conscience and love. I have some thoughts on the ending that I might add in a spoiler tag later or maybe once release day hits, but I love where it leaves. I had an incredible time with this, and I already can't wait to read it again after its release day.

Once again TJ Klune has done it again. I laughed, I cried and was led for a longing of more! Each of his books seems to focus on a found family and in The Lives of Puppets, he weaves a journey that you won't be able to forget.

In The Lives of Puppets 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕/5

Summary:
Get ready to embark on a magnificent fairytale-like adventure! Set within a deep peculiar forest lives a man - who is not human but rather an android. Gio Lawson is an inventor, creator and father to a human boy Victor Lawson. Victor and his robotic companions, Rambo ( a roomba vacuum with social anxiety disorder) and “Nurse Ratched” (a caregiver with sociopathic tendencies) spend their days out in the Scrap Yards.
They discover, salvage and reanimate a decommissioned android who his named HAP.
After a tragic loss the group engages on a heaven bound mission that is dangerous, full of dark discoveries.

What I Liked:
- TJ always creates the most peculiar, original, quirky characters guaranteed to make the reader laugh and cry.
- The world-building is strong, vivid, tangible.
- The story had a great flow and did not stall.
- The humour was not forced or exaggerated. It was perfect.

What Could Have been Improved:
- There were a couple of scenes that I would have shortened. Some of them may not have been necessary to carry the desired effect of the book.
- Personally I found the detailed discussion with the Blue Fairy could have been more simplified to explain the past and current situation.

Final Thoughts:
Firstly, after reading this book everyone will be purchasing a Roomba vacuum cleaner!
I compare TJ’s books to wearing a cozy blanket and the reader will want to immerse themselves into this world.
Personally, this book feels like a fusion of a queer Disney film mixed with
I-Robot and The Velveteen Rabbit.
There is an abundance of life lessons stemming from human complexity. Love in all it’s aspects is not limited or defined by one belief. The book reinforces that we are unique individuals who can dare to be brave in a world of uncertainty.
My favorite robotic character (Nurse Ratched) who is quick-witted with dry humour and completely pathological at times. I might have to buy one.
I am thankful that TJ took a leap of faith with this new novel. It’s extraordinary!

My deepest thanks to Tor Books, NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.

another masterpiece by one of my all time favorites authors! no one writes warm queer stories quite like tj klune. full review to come!