A review by spootilious
In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

dark emotional funny lighthearted 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

3.0

 
Read: September 11, 2023
 Title: In the Lives of Puppets
 Author: T.J. Klune
 Genre: Adult LGBT Fiction
 Rating: 3/5
 Review: 

I wanted to love this book so very much, however, I’m afraid that I simply liked it. The novel is cute with an edge of darkness to it but overall, a decent read.  The characters are lovable and unique and the storyline, while predictable, was entertaining. 

I suppose it fell a bit short for me for a number of reasons. The foremost being that Klune as shown us he can write better than this. While, House on the Cerulean Sea comes to mind, even the less fantastic novel Under the Whispering Door felt more enticing. That, of course, isn’t to say that this book was bad but rather not as good. 

Much of the storyline felt forced, trying to fit into the Pinocchio retelling, and some of the dialog seems a bit clunky (and not due to the robots). This isn’t to mention the strange obsession these robots had with sex… but that last bit might just be a me thing…. Not sure. 

Regardless, an overall decent book, though not one I’d read again and not one of Klune’s best. 

 


 Quotes: 

“Forgiving others could be difficult, but forgiving yourself can sometimes feel impossible.” 

 

 

TW: Blood and Violence, Minor TW: Abandonment, Animal death, Body shaming, confinement, Death of a parent, Death, Dementia, Fire/Fire injure, Genocide, Grief, Sexual Content, Torture. 

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