Pinocchio’s Guide to the End of the World by Eva Moon

In Pinnochio’s Guide to the End of the World, the title character, a once-wooden boy, reflects back on the events of his adolescence, from enlisting in the military to learning how to sail to, well, perhaps realising that maybe this whole “being brought to life by a benevolent Blue Fairy” thing goes way deeper than he first thought. And since it’s the kind of journey you want to go into headfirst, I can only say that without giving anything away.

First of all, I must say that I had a great time with Moon’s writing style. The first-person point of view of Pinocchio was quick-witted, quick-paced, and full of razor-sharp action, but the writing could also be lush and descriptive when it was called for. You will fall in love with every one of the colourful cast of characters in this book, and I felt completely engrossed in both of them.

Speaking of characters, this book is for you if you’ve ever dreamed that Pinocchio could be a likeable lead character you could truly support. When viewed in the perspective of the original narrative, his development makes perfect sense, and his voice is genuine and honest. In reality, this book’s and its magic system’s integration of the nuances of the source material is quite purposeful and well-thought-out.

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Even the aspects of the magic that aren’t fully explained by the conclusion didn’t bother me much. It’s based on a fairytale where a piece of wood comes to life, after all. In terms of adding reality, I believe Moon went above and above what was required. I wish I could properly compare this book to others, but I’ve never read one quite like it.

It’s a genre-bender since it combines elements of contemporary fantasy, fairytale retelling, and alternate history. But even so, it’s a truly endearing one with reassuring, emotional themes about love, humanity, and belonging. If they ever produce a movie adaption of this, I would watch it in a heartbeat. I never imagined I’d say this in the year of our Lord 2023.

About The Book

Becoming real was only the start. Pinocchio got his wish, but finds there’s more to being human than having the right kind of body. Inside, he still feels like that same wooden puppet. In the wake of WWI, his struggle to fit into a human world leads to a deadly fight with a fascist officer and flight from the only home he’s ever known.

From tramp steamers to stifling sweatshops, from love to bitter heartbreak, he can’t outrun his puppet past. Returning home years later, he discovers his beloved papa, Geppetto, was spirited away in the middle of the night into a Germany newly in Hitler’s grip.

On his perilous journey, he finds a motley crew of allies, love, and an unexpected enemy who knows a secret about Pinocchio’s own magical origins that could help her enslave humanity. Pinocchio’s Guide to the End of the World is a tale of friendship, love, and, ultimately, what it means to be real.