The House in the Cerulean Sea
Ratings1,117
Average rating4.3
Love it! Magical children, magical world, queer love story. And a perfectly sensible reason for not having to world-build the entire world, saving the writer all that work but also keeps the book from being too long. :)
This is my first time writing something here about a book I've read but this was such an amazing story! Not only was it a warm-heated narrative full of found family and queer experiences, it was a narrative that took serious topics like prejudice and systemic racism and packaged it into something so palatable and so easy to read and digest.
Everything about this book was something else, from the characters to the discussions they had to the prose style. I don't think I've ever come out of a book feeling both the warm fuzzies and like I need to sit down and deliberate life for a good, long while.
I don't think I can recommend this book enough.
Humanity is so weird. If we're not laughing, we're crying or running for our lives because monsters are trying to eat us. And they don't even have to be real monsters. They could be the ones we make up in our heads. Don't you think that's weird?
Later update
The book started well but began to fall apart under the weight and might of its preachiness and boorishly long dialogue.
...alternate titles “The thinly veiled metaphors in the cerulean sea” or “the parable in the cerulean sea...”
This is a book that I wanted to like. I'm a fan of young adult/kid lit and fantasy and had high hopes when I started. As I continued, I was disappointed to see the lack of background and depth in the characters and in the world. The points that the author was making are valid and need to be told. But telling them in such a flat way is almost insulting to the reader, like we wouldn't have been able to understand the message if there were any shades of gray instead of the blatant black and white/all good vs all bad we're given. Even young readers can comprehend and analyze more than we give them credit for.
This book was a ball of sunshine and a warm hug. And is now the love of my life!
All the words in the English language cannot describe how good this book was, and how much I loved it.
—spoilers—
Favorite parts:
* Every time Linus said ‘Oh Dear'
I had many, many people recommend this book to me and they were right: I loved it. I actually got that feeling, that amazing feeling that I had when I read the first Harry Potter and the first Series of Unfortunate Events book. I was in awe and charmed and really loved so many things about this story. It was almost perfect. In fact, I would give this 4 and 3/4 stars.
As I read, the story tends to play out on a movie screen in my head and the visuals in this book are really stunning. I can't help but imagine the beginning being something similar to the setting of the beginning of Joe vs the Volcano.
So, why not 5 stars? Well, 5 stars is perfection and almost no books score 5 stars from me, and my only negative about this story was that it was a pinch too long and did tend to repeat itself. The message is so important (get out of your bubble and meet people unlike yourself) that I guess it's worth repeating.
One thing Klune did that was super amazing, and I just want to make note of it, is he put characters into really difficult positions (in which they had to defend themselves against prejudice) and he SHOWS how to handle the situation with class. I think it's always lovely to see real examples of difficult situations and how they can play out positively (I mean, besides the fact that the unpleasantness happened in the first place) without characters immediately resorting to violence or revenge. Well done!
I absolutely loved this book! Everything about it is fantastic. I highly recommend the audiobook. The narrator did such a good job with all the voices. This is now one of my all time favorites.
I would categorize this as a fantasy children's book, complete with charming magical creatures of all kinds thought it focuses on an exceptionally normal cube-worker, Linus. He is sent to a remote island as a magical orphanage case worker, and in the process of investigating, finds himself growing attached to children the world has deemed hideous and unworthy of love. This is a truly heart-warming read about the purity of children, about being yourself even in the face of discrimination, about everyone deserving a place they belong, and of course, about love. It's an easy read, and a nice little escape for the winter pandemic blues!
I read the one-star reviews, out of curiosity. I understand the comments about the writing style not being for them (though it's not one-star worthy), because there is a silliness to it I can see not being for everyone. But I wholeheartedly disagree with the comments about it being a children's book. This is definitely for adults. Sure, I'm sure there are young ones out there who would relate to the magical children or be enthralled by their adventures and silly banter. And sure there can be lessons for them about bigotry too. But the story of the protagonist is one that can only be understood by adults. Clearly not all will relate, but for those who thirst for more, for connection, or for a light of any kind will get this. If the message, “you don't know what you had until it's lost” resonates you'll feel this. If you need some hope and want your heart to swell a bit you'll love this. And for themes on bigotry, I think in this book the messages are really for adults. I devoured the audiobook in a day. The book will be a lifelong favorite no doubt and I wonder if by the end of my days I'll have read it more times than I've read The Hobbit (three times so far). Six out of five stars.
At first it seemed like a less-macabre version of a Miss Peregrine book, but it is its own unique, lovely, wholesome story. This is a treasure and it will stick with me for awhile.
I was curious about what all of the hype was about surrounding this book but didn't decide to read it until my friend started reading it and encouraged me to try it. It was a little slow to start, but I loved this book. I don't quite understand the hype, but it was certainly a breath of fresh air. Between the books I typically read and recovering from 2020, it was nice to read a book that has a cute storyline and ends happily. I will definitely read this book again, and will likely buy it to revisit when I need a pick me up.
This book deserves all the hype. It's a masterpiece. I loved every single moment I got to spend in this amazing island and I'm sad that this book had to end.
Top favorite of the year, definitely a must read. I recommend it fiercely.
This book is amazing! I fell in love with it-it made me laugh and cry. The characters are well developed, all of them no matter how big or small a role they played. Linus Baker's growth and change from start to finish was well written. Although Linus is the protagonist, Lucy and Chauncey totally stole my heart.
As I was reading (and giggling throughout) I told my husband I would have to buy my own copy, as this is a book to revisit when in need of some comfort or laughs.
This book. This book right here is now one of my favorites of all time.
This story follows a man named Linus, a social worker for magical children. He is very straight laced and has lived a quiet, lonely life. When he is sent on an assignment to an island with a special type of orphanage, he quickly realizes the world is much more than he believed.
I honestly can't think of any negative things to say about this book. The characters are exemplary. The children are so funny and cute and amusing to learn who they are. The adults are all very different but very caring and driven. I could read a million books just about the day to day life at this home.
The themes throughout this story are so well thought out and developed. They really teach you a lot about yourself and the way you interact with the people around you. Full of color and life, the island creates such a vivid backdrop. In contrast with the city, you really see the changes in Linus' life. The relationships formed between all of the characters felt so deep and profound without being overly complicated and fraught. There is so much love and friendship and bonding in this book.
This is a story I will be returning to over and over again. I would recommend this to anyone, no matter your preferred genre. I think this book can teach us all valuable lessons, and will also let us all smile and laugh at the beauty there is in the world.
uhh yeah the basis for this book is not it. cute book but not so cute author intentions
Don't you wish you were here?
Yes. Yes, I do.
I would rate this 100 stars if I could. This is exactly what I needed after all the things that happened last year. It's cute, it's heartwarming, it just fills every inch of you with joy. It made me tear up over a button. The children are so very endearing, and the story itself is uplifting and will stay in my mind for a long time. I love the writing, so I'm definitely checking out T.J. Klune's other works.
This is an adorable chosen family narrative. I found it a little saccharine at times – there's not really a central conflict, or even much of a point besides coming together as a set of misfits and fighting back against intolerance – but sometimes you need that in the world. I will say that at times it felt almost like issue-fic: the intolerance was a little on the nose and the solution was very pat (asking people nicely to not bully you; have the mayor on your side and the angry mob dissipating seems a quite simplistic to January of 2021). But it was incredibly cute: a wyvern who collects buttons! An edgy child Anti-Christ who just wants to be loved...and talk about philosophy! A queer, middle-aged romance! And they all become a family.
2.5 stars. Unpopular opinion: I didn't love this book crawls back into the shadows
I had such high hopes for The House in the Cerulean Sea as I've only seen reviews about how incredible it is. But I struggled getting through it. I've found that when you want to be done with a book, it probably isn't the book for you. I read it slower than most books because I wasn't excited to see what would happen next. Most parts just weren't captivating for me.
That's not to say I disl
(Not really a romance, but there is a romance in it, so let's call it that as well.)
Oh my god, this book was so funny and sweet and gentle and just perfect. There's not a ton of conflict, just Linus breaking down his own walls and discovering where he's meant to be. Found-family isn't always my thing, but I just loved all the children in the house - I would try to pick out a favorite (and I will confess an extra soft spot for Theodore and Chauncey), but they were all realistic characters and easily distinguished from each other. This book deals with some heavy things - CWs here there are descriptions of child abuse in the past (though not detailed), and some verbal attacks on magical people from the villagers - but the tone is consistently hopeful and optimistic. I never doubted for a second that things would work out for the best, which is a nice feeling to have in the middle of, you know, everything.