Many thanks to my friends at @torbooks and @macmillan.audio for the #gifted copies of this book.  

 

Fantastical.  Thought-provoking.  

 

When inanimate objects teach the most poignant lessons on humanity, you know their creator boasts talent.  Oh! To have the sharp-edged imagination of TJ Klune.  

 

In an old and lonely forest… that’s where we meet this most unlikely yet devoted little family.  Tinkering, exploring, creating.  Gio and Victor lived a contented life alongside their robots, Rambo and Nurse Rached.  But when a new android is brought into the fold, danger lurks close behind ready to challenge everything they’ve known about connection and love.   

 

Written as an homage to Collodi’s Pinocchio, this new adventure of a creation breaking free has notes of nostalgia while also being something wholly original.  I actually found nods to one of my favorite childhood reads, A Wrinkle In Time, stronger than that of Pinocchio.    

 

As I’ve come to expect from Klune, his latest foray boasts vivid storytelling and distinct characters.  But it’s always the warmth with which he writes that endears me and ultimately breaks my heart a bit.  Thankfully, the abundant sarcasm and dark humor didn’t leave me dejected for long.  

 

While I enjoyed the overall execution, there were times the story lagged, which felt antithetical to adventure.  And I have to admit that the ending left me wanting.  The quick wrap-up (after such a lengthy investment in the characters) didn’t fulfill.  I would’ve greatly appreciated an epilogue that entrusted me with a bit of their future. 

 

🎧 Hands-down… the *very* best format for ingesting this book… the audiobook.  Narrator @danielhenningla is a one man “full cast” experience.  His execution radiates the quirkiness of each personality in a way that made me start to believe the actual robots were in my phone.  I  won’t be surprised if this isn’t an Audie Award winner for him.