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stampest's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, Body shaming, Colonisation, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Genocide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Animal death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Dementia
sarrie's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune is the strangest reimagining of a fairy tale I think I’ve ever read, and honestly? I’m not sure if it completely works, which makes me a bit sad. The story sets up Victor who is the son of a robot named Gio. They live in a forest with Rambo, a little vacuum unit who is the fluffiest of cinnamon rolls, and Nurse Ratched who is off her treads. The family finds another robot in the Scrap Yards and put in back together only to have things go badly from there.
The characters in this, for the most part, are fantastic. TJ Klune’s strongest skill is characters and their dialogue. I found myself laughing out loud at a lot of lines, and I still swear Rambo must be protected at all costs. That was the strongest part for me, the other parts falling apart.
The setting felt barely sketched in. We know they live in the forest and we see a few other settings, but none of them felt very clear. The characters and dialogue seemed to be the only thing carrying this forward as he attempted to grasp at his themes. Forgiveness, humanity, worth, personhood, etc were all things the story hinted at. Sadly it didn’t feel like anything clear was stated, and if we followed some of the ideas he set before us to their ultimate conclusion… it got a little uncomfortable.
I think the breaking point for me was the point at which we’re expected to believe the romance between Victor and one of his robot companions, who we see in a flashback murder an untold amount of people, followed by a scene of him descending on a mother and her child. Victor wrestles with the idea of forgiving HAP (he has after all broken his programing in a way and no longer does these things) and ultimately still chooses him. This could entirely be me - I’ve lost children, I grapple with grief on a daily basis. I’m not sure if the imagery chosen could have been different and the idea conveyed better or if it this was just poorly constructed overall, but it fell apart. I also wonder at this idea of blanket forgiveness and how Klune has come under some fire in the recent past for his use of historical events for fictional story inspiration.
Not a winner for me, clearly. I did enjoy parts of this, and if you want to read it for the characters and dialogue I would 100% recommend it. Perhaps however don’t read too deeply in or it will fall apart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
Minor: Blood, Child death, Confinement, and Murder
iane_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Deportation, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Genocide, Mental illness, Medical content, Death of parent, and Dementia
Moderate: Excrement, Sexual content, Confinement, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Deportation, Colonisation, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, and Drug use
wardenred's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
If we can fix what’s broken, we should always try.
Usually, I have two possible reactions to T.J. Klune's books: I either love them to bits, or can barely get through them. There's no middle ground. Or there wasn't, until In the Lives of Puppets.
I really, really loved the first third of the book or so. The one where a human and three robots live together in a tree-house in some clearly post-apocalyptic woods, and rescue a murder robot from a junkyard, and give him a heart and teach him what it is to be more than a machine. I was fully enamored by the quaint setting, and the low personal stakes, and the witty banter. I loved seeing an asexual protagonist. I related to Rambo's anxiety. I kind of began to want my own sociopathically kind Nurse Ratched in my life. I wanted to know more about the mysteries outside of the woods, but like... without really leaving the woods, please? I settled comfortably into the story being all cozy and small-scale, and I wanted to keep reading this cozy, small-scale story. It felt like exactly what I needed.
And then about one third into the story, maybe even a little later, way past the usual inciting incident mark, there were suddenly big dangers, high stakes, risky quests, and all sorts of stuff that felt very much at odds with what I had already settled into, to the point that I felt cheated. I guess I still appreciated parts of the later story—the characters were still engaging, and there are some great hopepunk moments, and all. But it was like I started reading one book and then was suddenly transported into a whole different story. Same characters, different vibes, an overall weird discordant feeling.
Frankly, can't say I appreciated it. Maybe the set-up shouldn't have been so long that I started believing the set-up was the story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Blood, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Genocide and Violence
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
mo345's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Grief, War, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexual content, Confinement, and Medical content
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal death
hannahrogers's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Death, Confinement, Medical content, Grief, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse
noladawnreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Grief
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
sarasreading's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed the adventure, the fun and dynamic found robot family, and the sheer imagination that went into this story. It would be a stunning movie or limited series.
It didn't hit me in the feels as much as Whispering Door, but that one gets me right in the trauma, so my emotions were already right at the surface. The romance was so sweet and pure though. And I'm a sucker for a good quest.
I did the audiobook so I could leave my beautiful special edition in mint condition, but I didn't love the narration for one character's voice. It was far, far too goofy for me. I would have preferred more of a high pitched electronic, flat but slightly panicked voice. I had to basically redo every line in my head the way I would have naturally read it in the book.
Still a solid 4 stars for me.
It didn't hit me in the feels as much as Whispering Door, but that one gets me right in the trauma, so my emotions were already right at the surface. The romance was so sweet and pure though. And I'm a sucker for a good quest.
I did the audiobook so I could leave my beautiful special edition in mint condition, but I didn't love the narration for one character's voice. It was far, far too goofy for me. I would have preferred more of a high pitched electronic, flat but slightly panicked voice. I had to basically redo every line in my head the way I would have naturally read it in the book.
Still a solid 4 stars for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief and Confinement
malley's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Violence
Moderate: Blood and Panic attacks/disorders
boba_n_books's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s difficult to find the words to describe this book. As I’ve just finished the last page, I find myself feeling heartbroken but hopeful—probably how Vic felt in the epilogue.
This story about a human and his robot father touched me in ways I didn’t know it would. Vic’s found family of misfits is reminiscent of Klune’s other novels and is just as heartwarming. When it comes down to it, this is a book about heart—how it can be contradictory but so beautiful. It is about how no one needs to remain stagnant; we always have the choice of who we are and who we will become.
I can’t recommend this, and all of Klune’s other books, enough. His stories are ones humanity desperately needs.
I appreciated that this wasn’t the happy ending I’ve come to expect from Klune. Even though it’s left me feeling sad, it was lovely in its own right. It leaves the reader to decide how Vic’s story ends instead of defining it for him. No one is the same after a life changing event—not even robots.
This story about a human and his robot father touched me in ways I didn’t know it would. Vic’s found family of misfits is reminiscent of Klune’s other novels and is just as heartwarming. When it comes down to it, this is a book about heart—how it can be contradictory but so beautiful. It is about how no one needs to remain stagnant; we always have the choice of who we are and who we will become.
I can’t recommend this, and all of Klune’s other books, enough. His stories are ones humanity desperately needs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Grief, and Genocide
Moderate: Blood and Confinement
Minor: Animal death and Sexual content