In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

Available now

From the Publisher:

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

I really, really enjoyed this one! Klune has this way of making, what I felt was, a very action packed and plot driven novel still seem very quiet and contemplative. Set in a dystopian future, our characters always seem to be on the verge of grave danger and yet, still find humor and joy throughout their days. If anyone can write a whimsical, dystopian love story, it’s Klune. Full of adventure in a futuristic setting, at it’s heart, In the Lives of Puppets is a magical story of found family, loyalty, acceptance, and love.

If you’d like to add this wonderful novel to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate Links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

Velvet Was The Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Available Now

Set in 1970’s Mexico City, Maite spends her days as a secretary and her evenings alone with her favorite serial romance comics. As the city becomes consumed with student protests and political unrest, Maite escapes into her romances and crafting tales of a glamourous, but non-existent, love life to regale her co-workers with. When the glamorous and beautiful Lenora moves in next door, Maite is both intrigued and extremely put out by her request to watch her cat while she’s away for a few days. When Lenora doesn’t return on time, and with Maite’s payment, Maite has no choice but to track her down and collect the money owed to her. 

What she doesn’t expect is to cross paths with a hitman who is also looking for Lenora and get drawn into the darker side of politics and dirty government officials. But Elvis isn’t just any goon, he’s a man tired of violence and wants nothing more than a life outside of crime. 

Both Elvis and Maite are complex and intriguing characters. I found Maite very hard to like which made reading her character even more enjoyable. She was prickly, obsessed with the characters in her comics, and felt she was immensely better than the people around her. She constantly lied about her personal life, had a difficult relationship with her family, and was also a petty thief who regularly stole from her neighbors. It’s very, very hard to like or relate to someone like that but I found her absolutely fascinating. Add in a mob henchman who is obsessed with Elvis Presley, rock and roll, and is an avid reader, you get a fascinating combination of characters. The mystery behind Lenora, her identity and her disappearance, was really well done and I loved how Maite’s obsession with her drove the story.   

Engrossing, thrilling, and filled with complex and interesting characters, Velvet Was The Night is a dark historical that will keep you guessing with every twist and turn.  

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. 

If you would like to add this amazing book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:  

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.